The last time an NHL team with an American-born captain won the Stanley Cup was 13 years ago, when the Dallas Stars beat the Sabres. Derien Hatcher of Sterling Heights, Mich. was their captain that season, and you shouldn't talk to people in Buffalo about it.
Hockey in the United States has grown exponentially since 1999, and it looks as though there's a pretty solid chance of an American-born captain accepting the Cup from Gary Bettman this June.
Of the four teams remaining in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, three of them have American captains. The Los Angeles Kings are led by Dustin Brown of Ithaca, N.Y. New York Rangers captain Ryan Callahan is from Rochester, N.Y, and New Jersey Devils captain Zach Parise is from Minneapolis, Minn.
The only team left without an American captain is the Phoenix Coyotes, which is just a biiiiiit ironic. Shane Doan is by far the oldest captain remaining in these playoffs, and this Conference Final berth is the deepest the Halkirk, Alta.-native has ever gone in the postseason.