Retired Numbers that Weren't - the 1990's

In this third installment of our look at retired numbers not retired, we look back at the 1990’s.  This promises to be a hard one to sort out.

The Candidates:

“6” Calle Johansson was not as prolific a scorer as an offensive defenseman as, say, Kevin Hatcher or Al Iafrate.  He was not a thundering hitter playing with an edge like Brendan Witt or Mark Tinordi.  But he was the best two-way, most consistent defenseman to play for the Caps in the 1990’s.  He was the only defenseman to play in all ten seasons in the decade (no other appeared in more than seven), led defensemen in games played (732, almost 250 more than Sylvain Cote (483)), was first in goals/assists/points (82-282-374), was first in power play goals/points (40-185), was second in game-winning goals (13, to Kevin Hatcher’s 14), and had the only two overtime goals scored by Caps defensemen in the decade.

“12”  No number gets more attention on this topic than the number Peter Bondra made famous as a Capital.  In the 1990’s Bondra led the Caps in goals scored (337, tenth among all NHL players in the decade). Led the Caps in even strength goals (235, third among all NHL’ers in that period), led in shorthanded goals (25, tied for sixth in the league in the ‘90’s), twice led the league in goal scoring (34 in the abbreviated 1994-1995 season and 52 in 1997-1998), twice had 50-goal seasons (62 in 1996-1996 and the one mentioned above), led the league in shorthanded goals in 1994-1995 (six), and was a five-time participant in the NHL All-Star Game.

“20” Michal Pivonka seems to get lost in any conversation about the best players in Capitals history.  His story on becoming a Capital is amazing in itself,  but once he arrived, he established himself a a fine, if persistently underrated player.  He appeared in 552 games in the 90’s (fifth among all Capitals), ranked third in goals scored (119), first in assists (312), second in points (431), fifth in power play goals (38), third in power play points (137), second in game-winning goals (24), tied for first in overtime goals (four), and fourth in shorthanded goals (nine).

The Choice:

This might be the deepest pool of candidates, but there is no clearer winner here than Peter Bondra.  It would take a generational talent such as Alex Ovechin to break many of Bondras’s goal scoring records, but Bondra remains perhaps the most dangerous penalty killing forward in team history, a skill that sometimes gets overlooked among his career achievements.

Honorable Mention

“4” Kevin Hatcher was the most dangerous offensive defenseman the Caps had in the 1990’s.  Second in goals scored (91, one fewer than Johansson), third in assists (156), second in points (247), second in power play goals (36) and power play points (112), and first in game-winning goals (14), while finishing sixth in games played (313).

“10” Kelly Miller is one of those examples of a player who sacrificed a part of his game to become a better all-around player. An accomplished scorer in college (82 goals in 165 games at Michigan State), he developed into more of defensive specialist in the NHL, but still capable of chipping in offense (106-168-274, plus-45, in 663 games in the 1990’s).  He led the Caps in shorthanded points in the ‘90’s (28), was third in game-winning goals (21), and tied for most overtime goals (four).

“17” Mike Ridley is another of those Capital players whose performance seems overlooked.  In just 324 games in the 1990’s, Ridley posted 104 goals, 188 assists, and 292 points.  He led all Capitals in points per game in the decade (0.90).

Retired Numbers that Weren't - the 1980's

We continue our look at retired numbers not retired with a look back at the 1980’s.  There is no lack of potential candidates for numbers worthy of honor, as seems fitting for a club that developed into a consistent playoff participant in the decade.

The Candidates:

“3” Six players wore the number “3” before Scott Stevens donned it in 1982 as an 18-year old rookie fresh off being taken fifth overall in the 1982 Entry Draft.  He is the best Capital to wear that number before or since. No Capital defenseman was within 50 points of Stevens (429 points) in the decade (Larry Murphy: 345), and he was third among all skaters in points for the ‘80’s.”  His plus-90 rating for the decade was second-best (Rod Langway: plus-106), and his 182 power play points were topped only by Mike Gartner (213). He was famous for playing with an edge, his 1,628 penalty minutes being more than twice as many as any other Capital in the decade (Gartner: 704).  Among his individual honors, he finished third in Calder Trophy voting as top rookie in 1983, he received all-NHL team votes in six of his eight seasons in the decade (including a first-team selection in 1988), he received Norris Trophy votes in five seasons (runner-up to Ray Bourque in 1988), and he was twice selected to play in the NHL All-Star game.

“16”  Before there was Nicklas Backstrom, there was Bengt-Åke Gustafsson.  Yes, both are natives of Sweden, but the similarities do not end there.  Gustafsson was arguably the best two-way center in franchise history before Backstrom came on the scene in 2007, and he was, in his own way, perhaps as underrated a performer as Backstrom has been for much of his career.  In eight seasons played for the Caps in the 1980’s, Gustafsson was fourth on the team in goals (173), third in assists (321), second in points (494), fifth in plus-minus rating (plus-60), third in power play points (171), first in shorthanded goals (16) and points (20), and second in game-winning goals (30).  The 1980’s were long before the NHL kept detailed statistics on ice time, penalty killing, and other measures, but Gustafsson was also an adept penalty killer and defensive player (four times earning votes for the Selke Trophy for top defensive forward).  His statistical rankings in the 1980’s would no doubt be higher had he not sat out the 1986-1987 season to play with Bofors IK Karlskoga in Sweden.

“35” The 1980’s were not kind to goaltenders.  Twenty-two players scored at least 300 goals in the decade (Wayne Gretzky posted an amazing 626 by himself).  Capitals goaltenders were not spared in the deluge of goals.  Small wonder that no Capital goaltender appearing in at least ten games in the decade had a save percentage as high as .900.  So when one looks at Al Jensen’s .883 save percentage in his five-plus seasons with the Caps in the 1980’s, that is not a bad number.  Although he spent much of his tenure with the Caps splitting time with Pat Riggin, Jensen posted a superb 94-48-10 record with the Caps in the ‘80’s with a 3.27 goals against average and that .883 save percentage.  His eight shutouts led all Caps netminders for the decade as well.

The Choice:

Scott Stevens is the clear choice here.  Even though his late career with the Caps was rocky – the episode in Georgetown, his eventual departure via free agency -- he was among the best defensemen in team history, even before embarking on what would be a hall of fame worthy career with the New Jersey Devils.  He was the complete package from the moment he took the ice as an 18-year old rookie until he departed after the 1980-1990 season.

Honorable Mention

“21” At 5’8”, Dennis “Pee-Wee” Maruk was small, even by 1980’s standards, but in only three seasons with the Caps in the decade he posted 141 goals.  He was the first player in team history to record 50 goals in a season, 60 goals in a season, and 100 points in a season.  Despite playing in only 240 games with the Caps in the ‘80’s, he was fifth in goals scored.

“27” Dave Christian, a member of the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” United States Olympic Men’s Hockey Team, was the second-leading goal scorer for the Caps in the 1980’s (193, 21 of them game-winners).  His 67 power play goals were also second on the team for the decade.

“14” Gaetan Duchesne was known primarily as a defensive player in his six seasons with the Caps in the 1980’s, but he was an underrated player in the offensive end of the ice, his 87 goals and 225 points contributing to a third-best plus-69 rating for the Caps in the decade.

“8” This number will be retired someday, but before a certain Russian winger arrived in Washington, a defenseman wore it for the Caps.  Although he took a lot of grief from fans during and after his tenure in Washington, Larry Murphy was a productive offensive defenseman for the club, posting 86 goals and 345 points (both second among defensemen) in the 1980’s.  He was an unsurprising second in power play points in the decade (153), but he also led Caps defensemen in shorthanded points in the decade (six).

 

 

Retired Numbers that Weren't - the 1970's

Here we are in the quiet of the hockey calendar, and we find ourselves daydreaming of days gone by.  Which brings us to one of those topics fans like to talk about… retired numbers.  There are almost 200 retired numbers among the 31 NHL teams playing in the 2020-2021 season, including the number “99,” which has been retired by every NHL team in honor of Wayne Gretzky.  Not all of the retired numbers were worn by players.  For example, the late Wayne Huizenga, the original owner of the Florida Panthers, was honored with a retired number (“37,” his birth year and what he believed was his lucky number) in December 2017.  The Panthers also retired the number “93,” symbolizing their first year of play in the NHL, in honor of Bill Torrey, the first president of the club. And the Vegas Golden Knights retired the number “58” to honor the 58 people who lost their lives in the 2017 shooting in Las Vegas.

In Washington, four players have had their numbers retired – Yvon Labre’s number “7” on November 22, 1981; Rod Langway’s number “5” on November 26, 1997; Dale Hunter’s number “32” on March 11, 2000; and Mike Gartner’s number “11” on December 28, 2008. 

One of the persistent topics among Caps fans is whether or not the list should be expanded and for whom?  We are going to approach this from a slightly different direction.  The four retired numbers align fairly well with the honored players’ best decades in Washington – Labre in the 1970’s as one of the early captains of the club and one of the most popular, if not the most popular player during his seven seasons in Washington; Langway and Gartner as the “Secretary of Defense” and the leading goal scorer/point producer, respectively, in the 1980’s; and Hunter as the heart, soul, and guts of the club and as captain (1994-1999) in the 1990’s.

But who might be identified as “reminder” numbers to be honored, numbers of Capitals players who might have made significant contributions on the ice, but the memories of which have faded over time?  We will take a look at each decade and identify players whose numbers should serve as a reminder of what they meant to the club, even if their production does not quite rise to the level of “retired” number.  It all begins with the 1970’s.

The Candidates:

“15”  This was the number worn by center Guy Charron from 1976-1977 through 1979-1980 (he played a fifth season in Washington, in 1980-1981).  In those four seasons to close out the 1970’s, Charron scored more goals (113), recorded more assists (143), and posted more points (256) that any other Capital.  Not that the Capitals won a lot of games over that period, but Charron also recorded more game winning goals (12) than any other Capitals and accounted for more than ten percent of the game-winning goals posted (111).

“24”  Robert Picard was a third-overall pick of the Capitals in the 1977 Amateur Draft, and he did not disappoint in his three seasons with the Caps to close out the 1970’s (his only three years with the Caps).  Despite playing in only those last three seasons of the 1970’s, Picard was the third-leading point getter for the Caps (156) among all skaters and led all defensemen in goals (42, more than twice as many as Rick Green (20)), assists (114, the only Capital defenseman to top 100 assists in the ‘70’s), and points (156, the only defenseman in triple-digits).  In his sophomore season (1978-1979) at age 21, he finished sixth in Norris Trophy voting, no small feat for a defenseman playing on a club that was next to last in scoring defense that season.

"30"/“1”  If Yvon Labre had his number retired for more than just his on-ice performance, then there might be something to be said for retiring a number (or numbers) of a player who toiled mightily under the worst of circumstances.  Goaltender Ron Low appeared in 48 of 70 games in the Caps’ inaugural 1974-1975 season, and his eight wins were the only wins posted among the three goalies to dress for the club that season.  Yes, his numbers that season were ghastly (8-36-2, 5.45, .855), but he did record the club’s first shutout in team history (a 3-0 blanking of the Kansas City Scouts on February 16, 1975), and he went on to appear in 145 games for the Caps in the 1970’s, by far most among the ten goalies to play for the Caps in the period.  And, he had 30 of the team’s 111 wins in the ‘70’s.

The Choice:

Robert Picard’s “24” gets the nod here. He was Mike Green before there was Mike Green, a dominant offensive producer, not only among his defenseman teammates, but among his NHL cohort as well.  In his three seasons with the Caps to close the 1970’s, he ranked ninth among all NHL defensemen in total goals, tenth in total assists, and ninth in total points.  And even though his minus-41 sticks out like a sore thumb, that was middle of the pack in rankings among Caps defensemen in the 1970’s.

Honorable Mention:

“25”  Forward Bob Sirois dressed for 282 games for the Caps in the 1970’s and potted 91 goals with 211 points, joining Guy Charron as the only Caps to top 200 points in the ‘70’s.

“14” In three-plus seasons with the Caps in the '70's, Gerry Meehan recorded 65 goals, nine of which were game-winners.

“5” Although this number would be retired later by Rod Langway, Rick Green deserves a mention for being the second leading goal scorer (20) and point-getter (99) among Caps defensemen in the 1970’s.