Washington Capitals: Top 10 Defensemen In Team History
Washington Capitals Top Ten Defensemen: #10
Capitals. Al Iafrate. 10. player. 19. . Defenseman
Al Iafrate is often overlooked when it comes to defensemen. However, no one who watched him play hockey (or had to block one of his famous slap shots) would ever question how great of a defenseman he was. Iafrate didn’t play that long with the Capitals, but he sure made his presence felt.
He played in four seasons for the Capitals after trading Peter Zezel and Bob Rouse to the Toronto Maple Leafs for him during the 1990-1991 season. Here’s how he ranks among all the qualified defensemen.
- 176 points (ninth out of 34)
- 58 goals (ninth out of 34)
- 118 assists (tenth out of 34)
- +25 plus-minus rating (15th out of 34)
What made Iafrate so great was his slap shot. In fact, he owned the All-Star Game record for the hardest shot back in 1993. That record stood until Zdeno Chara broke the record in 2009.
In his two full seasons with the Capitals, (the 1991-1992 season and the 1992-1993 season), Iafrate had over 50 points. He was on pace to get over 50 points in the 1993-1994 season before being traded to the Boston Bruins.
The main reason Iafrate isn’t ranked higher on this list despite his offensive prowess is because he only spent two full seasons with the Washington Capitals. He probably would have been much higher on this list had he spent more time with the Caps.
However, he still deserves to be honored because he accomplished quite a bit to the Washington Capitals, and he was a very good defensemen for them. The fact that he isn’t higher on this list is a testament to how good the rest of the guys on this list are.
He is, however, the best #34 that the Washington Capitals have ever had. It’s not that close either. Only two Caps who have worn #34 stuck with the Caps for longer than two seasons.
Next: Number Nine: A Hall of Famer