Washington Capitals: Top 30 Players In Franchise History

Mandatory Photo Credit: David Stevenson

Mike Gartner

Coming in at number three on our list of the greatest Washington Capitals players in franchise history is Hall of Fame forward Mike Gartner. He spent the first ten seasons of his career with the Caps. Perhaps Gartner and the Capitals were destined for each other – Gartner might be the greatest player ever who never won a Stanley Cup. Gartner almost won a cup with the Rangers during the 1993-1994 season, but he was traded to Toronto at the trade deadline.

Gartner played in 758 games in ten seasons for the Capitals. He scored 397 goals and added 392 assists for a total of 789 points. He ranks seventh in franchise history in games played. He ranks third in goals scored and points. He also ranks fourth in assists. Gartner provided the offense for the Caps in the 80’s when they generally focused more on defense. The reason that they were able to be competitive was because of guys like Gartner.

Not only did Gartner never win a Stanley Cup, he never won an NHL award or even got named to a post-season All-Star team. He also scored over 30 goals in each of his first fifteen seasons. Even though that might have been a product of the era he played in, that’s an incredible display of consistency nonetheless.

Gartner played in 1,432 games in his NHL career with 1,335 points.

Next: #2