Washington Capitals: A look back at Scott Stevens

The Washington Capitals were still one of the newest NHL teams when they drafted Scott Stevens at fifth overall in 1982 NHL Draft.

The Washington Capitals entered that 1982-83 season with some defensemen hurt, which opened up a chance for the then 18-year old Scott Stevens to make the team right out of training camp. Stevens was a physical defenseman that packed an offensive punch and he did exactly that on  his first shift at his first to show the NHL world his arrival.

Stevens scored his first career NHL goal on his first shot and finished with 25 points (9 goals, 16 assists) in 77 games. He finished third in the Calder Cup trophy voting as the NHL’s Rookie of the Year. Stevens led all rookie defensemen with 195 penalty minutes, made the All-Rookie team, was named the Capitals Rookie of the Year and finished third in the Calder Trophy voting. The Capitals made the playoffs that season and would continue to do so in each of Stevens’ eight seasons in Washington.

Stevens’ offensive numbers jumped to 13 goals and 32 assists for 45 points his second season. Stevens was known not just for a two-way defensive game, hits, and fights but in the beginning of his career he had a fiery, hot-tempered demeanor.

Before the Capitals took the ice in their first-ever playoff series against the New York Islanders in 1983, then-coach Brian Murray told the rookie defenseman (via Tom Gulitti/NHL.com):

“Watch what you’re doing, behave yourself. We need you on the ice.”

Stevens himself mentioned in the same article:

“I had a bit of a short fuse when I was younger, which was a problem. Sometimes your strengths are your weaknesses. I had to learn how to control that, but over time I guess I learned how to play on the edge, it just takes time.”

Stevens learned how to improve his defensive game from seasoned veteran Rod Langway as well as his pairing partner Brian Engblom.

In 1984-85 he was even better with 65 points (21 goals, 44 assists). 16 of those 21 goals came on the power play which is a franchise record for a defenseman and his 21 goals tied a team record. The offensive capabilities even made Murray think about the possibility of moving him from a defenseman to a winger.

The 1985-86 season saw Stevens stay out of the box with a career-low (at the time) 165 minutes in 73 games. Two seasons later in 1987-88, Stevens finished second to Raymond Bourque of the Boston Bruins in the Norris Trophy voting as the league’s top defenseman. That season, Stevens set a franchise record among defensemen with five assists in Washington’s game against the Los Angeles Kings on Dec. 6, 1987. Stevens finished that year with 72 points (12 goals, 60 assists), second to Mike Gartner and leading all defensemen.

Stevens finished with 68 points (7 goals, 61 assists) in 1988-89. The next season would turn out to be his final season in Washington, an injury-plagued season that included a broken foot where he missed up to two months. Stevens entered the summer as an RFA and was offered a four-year, $5.145 million contract with the St. Louis Blues.

The Capitals declined to match their offer and received two first round picks plus two first round picks which could become five in the drafts of 1991 and 92 if the Capitals didn’t have a top-seven pick. Two of those draft picks turned out to be Sergei Gonchar and Brendan Witt.

Stevens spent one year with the St. Louis Blues and finished his career with the New Jersey Devils for 13 seasons, helping them win three Stanley Cups. Stevens was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy after the 2000 Cup run. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2007.

Stevens finished his Capitals career with 98 goals, 331 assists (429 points) in 601 games. He also holds the team record for most penalty minutes among defensemen with 1,628. Although he never won a Stanley Cup with the Capitals, he helped turn the franchise around and helped create more interest in the game of hockey throughout the D.C. area.