Which Cap Is Next To Have His Number Retired?

The obvious question to ask when a team announces that it will be retiring a jersey number is, "Does he deserve it?" Once every side of that argument is beaten to death, however, thoughts naturally turn to, "Who's next?"

If we look at the honor the team is going to bestow upon Mike Gartner as recognition for all that he did for the Washington Capitals franchise, you'd think that Peter Bondra and/or Olie Kolzig would be in line for similar ceremonies. If we look at Gartner's Hall of Fame enshrinement as the key to his soon-to-be-memorialized Caps immortality, perhaps Scott Stevens and/or Larry Murphy (sorry, Alex, pick again!) deserve a look. Of course, in Gartner's case, it's a combination of the above - his years and stats in D.C. constituted a significant portion of his Hall of Fame career - that has ensured that no one will ever again wear the number 11 for the Washington Capitals (sidenote: kudos to the rest of the Caps blogosphere for steering clear of the obvious and lame "It No Longer Goes To Eleven" post title).

But perhaps it's more than just those factors. Perhaps... it's the 'stache.

Here's a look at the three players who have previously had their numbers retired by the Caps and Gartner (from left to right, Yvon Labre, Rod Langway, Dale Hunter, Gartner):


How Hunter ever got his number retired is beyond me, given the push brooms mounted on the other honorees' upper lips. But if we take the team's apparent facial hair fetish to its utterly illogical conclusion, perhaps we can make a more educated guess as to who's number is next to be set aside for good. Here are the best bets:

Olie Kolzig
Kolzig hasn't had this Dirty Sanchez Clark Gable-esque 'stache since very early in his career, but combine it with his lifetime numbers with the team and I'd say he's a lock to have his number 37 hanging from the Verizon Center rafters before too long.

Dennis Maruk

Before there was Gartner or Bondra or Ovechkin, there was Maruk. From 1978 through 1983, Maruk potted 182 goals and 249 helpers, including a 60-goal/76-assist/128-PIM 1981-82 that still stands as the single-season team high in points (the goal total stood for more than a quarter of a century until A.O. came along). Throw in a non-ironic, heterosexual horseshoe moustache and you've got to consider 21 a contender for retirement. At least Maruk can rest easy knowing that the number is currently being honored by the über-manly Brooks Laich on a nightly basis.

Ron Low
Low started 145 games for the Caps from their inaugural season of 1974-75 through the end of the 1976-77 campaign, racking up a 30-94-9 record and a 4.86 goals against average, as well as the Caps record for losses in a season (36). No, Brent Johnson won't have to give up the number one anytime soon, but man... that 'stache/hair combo is something special.

Bill Clement

Clement only played 46 games for the Caps back in 1975-76 and scored but 10 goals. And his cookie duster wasn't/isn't even that great. But there's something to be said for longevity (and having a damn goofy hockey card), and given that he's had it for 30-plus years, that's an honorable display of commitment... but not enough to send number ten skyward.

Honorable mentions go out to Brendan Witt (whose Spring, 2006 lip scarf I've never been able to find a picture of) and the following half-dozen hirsute hockey heroes:


So there you have it - a couple of former Caps who could be next in line for the ultimate honor a team can give one of its players, a handful of other manly men and Bill Clement.

As for possibilities from the current Caps squad, pickin's are indeed slim (assuming, that is, that the team doesn't invite any of these guys to training camp)... though perhaps Karl Alzner is somehow even more savvy than we all thought.

Sorry, Peter And Olie: No Jersey Retirement For You

On the heels of this morning's announcement that no one will ever again wear the number eleven for the Caps comes the implicit news that anyone should feel free to wear number twelve or thirty-seven (paging Keith Aucoin).

As related by Craig Custance, Ted Leonsis discussed the topic of further jersey retirements:

He said the criteria was strict: You'd better be a Hall of Famer or lead the Caps to a Stanley Cup.

So nevermind that Peter Bondra and Olaf Kolzig have at least thirty individual team records between them (including most seasons, points, goals, goalie games played, wins, shutouts and saves), the team apparently feels alright letting a group of hockey writers decide whether these Caps greats are deserving of having their respective numbers retired by the team.

Huh?

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that neither Bondra nor Kolzig is headed to the Hall (and that neither will lead the Caps to a Cup). I'm also going to go out on a limb and say that one, if not both, of them will receive the same recognition that Mike Gartner will get when his number is sent to the rafters on December 28. How the team backpedals from this newly announced standard is another thing.

Update: Much ado about nothing, as the team is "open-minded about what other numbers will be retired." See what happens when the lawyer in me gets unleashed?

Caps To Raise Gartner's Number 11 To The Rafters

Per the team:

The Washington Capitals will retire Mike Gartner’s No. 11 jersey at a pregame ceremony before the team’s game against Toronto on Sunday, Dec. 28. Gartner, a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame who ranks second in Capitals history in goals (397), assists (392) and points (789), will become the fourth player in Capitals history to have his number retired.

“Capitals fans have fond memories of Mike Gartner flying down the right wing and scoring goals at the Capital Centre,” said Capitals chairman and majority owner Ted Leonsis. “This is a fitting tribute to one of the elite offensive players in the history of the game who was a crucial member of the first Capitals playoff teams.”

“It is a tremendous honor to be recognized by the Washington Capitals and to join the distinguished company of my fellow teammates Ivan Labre, Rod Langway and Dale Hunter,” Gartner said. “I look forward to the upcoming evening in December and sharing those fond memories with my family and those fans in attendance.”

Gartner spent the first 10 seasons of his 19-year NHL career with the Capitals after Washington selected him in the first round, fourth overall, in the 1979 NHL Draft. He led the team in goals five times and in points four times, scoring at least 35 goals in each of his first nine years in Washington (he had 26 goals when he was traded 56 games into 1988-89, his 10th season). He left the team as its all-time leader in games played, goals, assists, points, power-play goals and game-winning goals.

The Ottawa native is one of only three players in Capitals history with a 100-point season (joining Dennis Maruk and Alex Ovechkin), having recorded 102 points in 1984-85. He holds the Capitals record for most consecutive games with a point (17, twice) and consecutive games with a goal (9) and shares the club record for most shorthanded goals in a season (6).

Gartner was a member of the first six Capitals playoff teams, leading four of those teams in playoff scoring. He recorded 43 points (16 goals, 27 assists) in 47 playoff games for the club and at the time of his trade was Washington’s all-time leading playoff scorer.

Gartner played 1,432 career games with five teams in his career, recording 708 goals (sixth in NHL history) and 627 assists for 1,335 points. Inducted in the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001, Gartner holds the NHL record for the most 30-goal seasons (17) and shares the record for most consecutive 30-goal seasons (15). He played in seven NHL All-Star Games and three times won the NHL’s fastest skater competition at the NHL All-Star Game.

Gartner was an active member of the community during his time in Washington, D.C., and a particularly generous contributor to the Children’s National Medical Center.

Gartner’s No. 11 will join Rod Langway’s No. 5, Yvon Labre’s No. 7 and Dale Hunter’s No. 32 in the rafters at Verizon Center. Hunter was the most recent Capital to have him number retired, March 11, 2000.

The New Guys And Their Numbers

Now that the three new Caps have settled on their jersey numbers (you're gonna stick with 38, right, Cris?), here's a quick rundown of all the 24's, 38's and 91's to ever don a Caps sweater:

24
Larry Fullan (1974-75)
Paul Nicholson (1974-76)
Brian Kinsella (1975-76)
Larry Bolonchuk (1975-76)
Ron Jones (1975-76)
Brian Stapleton (1975-76)
Alex Forsyth (1976-77)
Tom Rowe (1976-77)
Robert Picard (1977-80)
Bob Kelly (1980-82)
Tom Rowe (1981-82)
Howard Walker (1981-82)
Eric Calder (1982-83)
Bryan Erickson (1983-85)
Daryl Evans (1985-86)
Jeff Greenlaw (1986-88, 1991-92)
Mark Tinordi (1995-99)
Rob Zettler (1999-02)
Brian Willsie (2003-06)
Kris Beech (2006-07)
Matt Cooke (2008-??)

38
Yves Beaudoin (1986-87)
Dennis Smith (1989-90)
Alain Cote (1990)
Bob Babcock (1990)
Reggie Savage (1991)
Brian Curran (1993-94)
Nolan Baumgartner (1995-96, 1998-00)
Jan Bulis (2000-01),
Todd Rohloff (2001-04)
Jakub Klepis (2005-07)
Cristobal Huet (2008-??)

91
Sergei Fedorov (2008-??)

The Curse Of The Caps 14

With the recent news less-than-surprising revelation that Caps' top right-wing prospect Eric Fehr still has not skated since late February due to a wonky back (and is "nowhere close" to getting back on the ice), one can't help but wonder if this is going to be the kind of injury that will linger and dog Fehr throughout his career. If it is, the former Western Hockey League scoring champ may have no one to blame but himself. You see, it seems as though the number 14 for the Washington Capitals is [cue eerie music]... cursed!

Here's a run-down of all the players to ever wear the number for the Caps and the ill-fates with which many of them met:

Tommy Williams (1974-75) - Williams (pictured - awesome pants), a member of the 1960 U.S. Olympic team that won gold in Squaw Valley a decade-and-a-half earlier, led the Capitals in scoring in their inaugural season with 22 goals and 36 assists (and a woeful minus-48 plus-minus rating). He retired after playing just 34 NHL games the following year and died prematurely at the age of 51 some 16 years later.

Gerry Meehan (1975-79) - Meehan tallied 65 goals and 79 assists in 208 games for some pretty miserable early Caps teams before retiring... and becoming a lawyer (frightening!).

Blair Stewart (1978-79) - Stewart wore #23 for his first four seasons with the Caps, switched to #14 and only played 75 NHL games after the change.

Antero Lehtonen (1979-80) - Despite apparently being pretty sweet back in his native Finland, Lehtonen didn't play a single game in the NHL after taking off the Caps' #14 for the last time.

Dwayne Lowdermilk (1980-81) - An "offensive minded blueliner who put up big numbers in junior and enjoyed a solid minor pro career," Lowdermilk played both - yes, both - of his NHL games for the Caps wearing #14.

Errol Rausse (1980-81) - Picked 24th overall in 1979, Rausse tried to salvage his career by switching from #14 to #12, but it was of no use. 31 NHL games, only two of which came after wearing the big one-four in D.C.

Gaetan Duchesne (1981-87) - You know the story on Gator (pictured), who tragically passed away just a couple of weeks ago at the age of 44.

Mike Richard (1987-88) - Richard, like Rausse, tried to escape the curse of #14, but it was too late - he played a total of seven NHL games and never did score a goal.

Geoff Courtnall (1988-90) - Courts only played two seasons in Washington, but scored 77 goals (including a 42-goal campaign in 1988-89). He went on to score more than 200 goals after leaving D.C., but his curse lies is in the reason why he was shipped out.

Dave Tippett (1990-92) - In the past four seasons, the Tippett-coached Dallas Stars have been one of the best teams in the NHL in the regular season, but have won only one playoff series. It seems as if the Marty Turco excuse is gone after this year, so that leaves the curse as the best reason I can come up with.

Kevin Miller (1992) - The trade that sent Dino Ciccarelli to Detroit for arguably the least-talented K. Miller was one of the worst in team history, as the Caps got 10 games and no goals out of Kevbo (I guess the curse was on the team, not the player on this one, as Miller actually went on to have three 20-goal campaigns after leaving D.C.).

Paul Cavallini (1992-93) - Oddly enough, Cavallini was acquired for a second tour of duty with the Caps from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for the forementioned Miller. One season wearing the ol' X-I-V, five goals and off to Dallas.

Pat Peake (1993-98) - With 58 goals and 136 points in just 46 games, Peake (pictured) was the Canadian Hockey League's 1993 Player of the Year and seemed to be headed for a long and productive NHL career until, as Mirtle describes it, he "was chasing down a puck, trying to beat an icing call during the 1996 playoffs when he tripped and collided feet first with the end boards, shattering his right heel. Doctors claimed they had seen an injury of similar severity only in construction workers who had fallen from high rises." Patty would only play eight NHL games thereafter, retiring at 25-years-old after shredding the tendons in that same right ankle.

Patrik Augusta, Patrice Lefebvre (1998-99) - The fact that both of these guys wore the same jersey number in the same year (they should have just stitched "Pat" on the back and saved some time) tells you most of what you need to know, a combined seven career NHL games and no NHL points tells you the rest.

Joe Sacco (1999-02) - Known to Caps fans (at least to this one) as Joe Sucko, the speedy winger scored 14 goals in 213 games for the Caps, but none in 65 games in his last season in D.C. In fact, he only scored one more NHL goal after leaving town, meaning he was goal-less in at least his last 99 career NHL games.

Kip Miller (2002-04) - Miller was brought in as part of the "Washington Penguins" movement of the early 00's, but was unable to keep you-know-who happy. Miller hasn't played an NHL game since leaving town, but did lead the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins (of Bruce Cassidy fame) in scoring this year. Impressed? Me neither.

Which brings us to Fehr. The Caps have understandably high hopes for the young winger, but are undoubtedly concerned about his current injury, an injury that might have been avoided... had he just chosen another number.