Washington Capitals Top Goal Scorers: Ridley
Coming in at number five on our list of the best goal scorers in Washington Capitals history is forward Mike Ridley. He’s one of the only two players to have played for the Caps in the 1980’s to be on this list.
In 588 games with the Caps, Ridley had 218 goals. In adjusted goals, that is the equivalent of 187 goals.
"While playing youth hockey in Winnipeg, Mike Ridley suffered a few setbacks that served to disguise the great hockey potential that simmered under his helmet. As a midget, his leg was broken as a result of a hit laid on by his future Ranger teammate, James Patrick. Later Ridley suffered a broken collarbone. The net result was that he lost two important years of development while his bones were at rest. By age nineteen, he played Tier II junior for one season. At such an age and in such a setting, he held no consideration of making it in pro hockey. As a result, he hooked up with the University of Manitoba Bisons where, all of a sudden, his talent started to rumble at the rink. By season’s end, he was selected as the Canadian University Player of the Year. And in his second and final campaign on campus he was chosen as an All-Canadian all-star. Halfway through his second year, he was traded to the Washington Capitals where he really made a name for himself as a crafty, productive forward who was usually good for an average of a point a game over his seven-plus seasons with the club. –Washington Capitals"
Next: #4: Semin