Washington Capitals: Top 30 Players In Franchise History

Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Dave Christian

Coming in at number 17 on our list of the greatest Washington Capitals players in franchise history is forward Dave Christian. Christian is perhaps most famous for being one of the members of the 1980 United States Men’s Hockey team that upset the Russians in the semi-finals of the Olympics and went on to win the gold medal.

Christian played for the Capitals for seven seasons. He played in 504 games for the Caps during those seven seasons. He scored 193 goals and added 224 assists for a total of 417 points. He is one of the greatest goal scorers in team history, ranking seventh among all Caps players in career goals. His 417 points rank fifth among all Capitals forwards.

Christian was a great all-around player. He was often a member of the Caps second line or third line. No matter where he played, Christian was asked to be defensively responsible. With a plus-minus rating of +20, he did exactly that. He also placed in the Lady Byng Trophy race five times while he was with the Capitals. He was extremely good at not committing penalties. He was relied on to be a great penalty killer.

Next: #16