We have finished our look back and letters A-D on our refashioned “All-Alphabet Team,” which brings us to the letter “E.”
Back in 2014, our "All-E Team" was:
- LW: Mike Eagles (1995-2000)
- C: Rolf Edberg (1978-1981)
- RW: Pat Elynuik (1993-1993)
- D: Steve Eminger (2002-2008)
- D: John Erskine (2006-2014)
- G: Sebastien Charpentier* (2002-2004)
The “All-E Team” is an interesting one, if in an odd
way. When compiled in 2014 it was one
that did not have a particularly deep resume, either individually or collectively. Only John Erskine among the five skaters
appeared in more than 300 games as a Capital (350), only Rolf Edberg posted
more than 25 goals as a Cap (45), and Edberg was the only one to record more
than 100 points (103). Steve Eminger was
the only one among the five to have been drafted by the Caps (12th
overall in 2002); Eminger and Pat Elynuik eighth-overall by Winnipeg in 1986) were
the only first-round draft picks. As a
group, the five skaters combined for fewer than 100 goals (99) and fewer than
300 points (289) in almost 1,100 games (1,096).
If we are looking at replacements for “All-E Team” since the
original was published in 2014, we have few options. Well, one.
The only skater since 2014 to take the ice for the Caps whose last name
starts with the letter “E” is current center Lars Eller. It hardly seems surprising that so few
options for replacement exist, since there are only six skaters (including
Eller) to have dressed for the Caps in the history of the franchise:
- Mike Eagles
- Rolf Edberg
- Lars Eller
- Pat Elynuik
- Bryan Erickson
- John Erskine
That Eller would replace Edberg at center on the “All-E Team”
is a no-brainer. That would be true
solely on the basis of Eller’s 2018 postseason.
You will recall that in 24 games, he was 7-11-18, plus-6. He had a league-leading three game-winning
goals, including the double overtime game-winner against Columbus in Game 3 of
the opening round to save the Cap’s season, and then the game-winning,
series-clinching, Cup-clinching goal against the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 5
of the 2018 Stanley Cup final.
However, Eller has been moving up the rankings among centers
in team history in a number of regular season statistical categories. For example, his 312 games as a Capital rank
18th all-time among centers in team history, and had the current
season not paused, he almost certainly would have jumped past Guy Charron (320
games) into 17th place. With
59 goals as a Cap, Eller ranks 18th among centers in team history
and might have passed Joe Juneau (62) for 17th place by season’s
end. His 138 points ran 20th
among centers in team history, five behind Robert Lang in 19th place
and six behind Gerry Meehan in 18th place. Only 12 centers in team history have more
shorthanded points than Eller (six).
In goal, we do have to make a change that reflects an error
we made when making the original selections in 2014. At the time, we noted that Sebastien
Charpentier, the man with the asterisk, was selected by virtue of his having
more “E’s” in his name than any other goalie.
Well, that is not true. That
distinction belongs to Pete Peeters, who wins the “E” count, five to four. And Peeters makes a better case on the
merits. He is tied with Jim Carey for
seventh place in games played by a Capitals goaltender (139), is tied with
Carey for fifth place in wins (70) in team history, is 11th in team
history in goals against average (3.06; minimum: 50 games), and is 12th
in save percentage (.886, perhaps more a product of the period in which he
played, one that featured more offense generally). He is tied with Michal Neuvirth for sixth
place in shutouts in team history (seven), and only three goalies in Caps history
have posted more points than Peeters (six).
All-E Team might not be among the more renowned of the
All-Alphabet Teams, but they have had their moments.