While many people think it means assistant captain, the “ A ” on a hockey jersey means alternate captain. If the captain is on the bench, in the penalty box or injured, an alternate captain will take over instead. Teams generally have more than one alternate captain, just in case.

Players who are selected to be alternates wear an ‘A’ on their jersey. But what does that letter stand for? Traditionally, the ‘A’ stands for “Assistant Captain.” During games, the person wearing the ‘A’ serves as the captain’s main advisor and assists in communicating with coaches and teammates.

The letters on a hockey jersey usually indicate the player’s position or role on the team. For example, a player wearing a “C” is typically the team captain, while those wearing an “A” are the alternates or assistant captains. Other letters like “RW” for right wing or “G” for goalie are used to denote a player’s position on the ice.