All-Time Washington Capitals Team

[ScottM]

 

The Capitals are the second of the 1974 expansion teams, and while they haven't had the same level of success as the Devils, they've had their fair share of skilled players. Unlike the Devils, whose team is heavily stacked toward more recent years, the Capitals team is more spaced out.

 

First Line: Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Peter Bondra

Second Line: Alexander Semin, Dennis Maruk, Mike Gartner

Third Line: Dmitri Kristich, Adam Oates, Bengt-Ake Gustaffson

Fourth Line: Kelly Miller, Dale Hunter, Dave Christian

 

First Defensive Pair: Rod Langway, Scott Stevens

Second Defensive Pair: Mike Green, Kevin Hatcher

Third Defensive Pair: Sergei Gonchar, Larry Murphy

 

Goaltenders: Olaf Kolzig, Braden Holtby, Al Jensen

 

Coach: Bruce Boudreau

 

A lot of the spots on the third and fourth lines were harder to choose, and I'll acknowledge that some of the guys on the list don't necessarily have stats as impressive as some guys that aren't on this team. In some cases, it was defensive ability that made the difference, and in the case of Dale Hunter, he was just too effective with his enforcer role to be off, in my opinion. I was impressed with the Capitals depth at defense, and I'd take that defensive unit any day of the week. Boudreau may seem like an odd choice for the coach, but his win percentage is head and shoulders above any other Capitals coach.

[jammer2]

@ScottM  That is a pretty decent list, I might find some room for Mike Ridley, but you covered most of the bases. Pivonka was a decent offensive force in his day, but I don't know who he would knock off that list.