Washington Capitals: Top 10 Wings In Franchise History
Washington Capitals Top Ten Wings: #10 Dmitri Khristich
Coming in at number ten on our list of the top ten Washington Capitals wings in franchise history is a very underrated player who quietly put up some impressive stats for the Capitals.
Dmitri Khristich was an important part of the Caps in the early 90’s and also during his second stint with the team in the early 21st century.
"Born in Kiev, USSR, Khristich played six years for Sokol Kiev where he was a solid two-way forward. He was chosen 120th overall by Washington in 1988 when his talent was considered very raw. He progressed and took on greater responsibilities for Kiev over the next two years and played for the USSR when it won gold at the 1990 World Championships. After starting the 1990-91 season in Kiev, Khristich joined the Capitals and scored 27 points in 40 games as a rookie. When he signed with the Caps on December 11, 1990, the 21-year-old Khristich made history as the youngest player ever allowed to leave the Soviet Union. The next season he broke through with 36 goals and was a consistent offensive threat until the end of the 1994-95 season. There was a concern over the drop in Khristich’s play in the playoffs when tighter checking predominated. However, this malady was rampant throughout the team as it continually put up mediocre results in the post-season. Khristich recorded consecutive 29-goal seasons and was one of the Bruins’ best all-round forwards. A contract squabble with general manager Harry Sinden led to the Ukrainian being traded to Toronto where he disappointed with only 30 points in 53 games. He was also a non-factor when the Leafs were eliminated by the stronger New Jersey Devils in the second round. After a slow start and significant time spent in the press box, Khristich was traded to Washington where he started quickly then faded and ended up with only 13 goals in 70 games. His career was at an important juncture as the 2001-02 season began. – Legends of Hockey"
A Russian forward whose work ethic was questioned? Nope. Never heard that one before. That’s not a stereotype often given to Russian forwards or anything.
Here’s how Khristich stacks up against the other Washington Capitals wings who qualified for our list.
- 419 games played (tied for 13th out of 40)
- 140 goals scored (9th out of 40)
- 160 assists (10th out of 40)
- 300 points (9th out of 40)
- +44 plus/minus rating (10th out of 40)
Next: Number Nine: Good as Gould