Washington Capitals History: Top 5 Captains Of All Time
Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
#5: Ryan Walter
Coming in at number five on our list of the best Washington Capitals captains of all-time is a captain whose influence on the Washington Capitals stretched far past his tenure with them: Ryan Walter.
Walter was a center who served as the Caps captain from 1979 to 1982. Walter was important to the Caps history for two reasons.
SEE ALSO: Top Ten Centers In Capitals History
First of all, he helped the Caps become a playoff team because the team matured greatly during his tenure as the captain. Their record may not have shown it, but he had an impact.
He did a great job in particular of helping Mike Gartner and Bengt-Ake Gustafsson develop. He did all of that despite being just 21 years old when he became the captain. He was thrown into the fire and has success.
The other reason that he was very important to the Washington Capitals? Well, he was traded for Rod Langway in 1982. He proved his talent as a player by making the transition from the Caps aggressive hard-hitting style to Montreal’s wide-open offense.
Also, the guy once beat up Mike Milbury. That gives him a ton of brownie points.
Next: #4: The Great Enforcer