Capitals: Top 10 greatest goalies of all-time

The Washington Capitals have been around for over four decades.

In that stretch, the Washington Capitals have been known to have decent goaltenders. They will be the first part of our all-time list of the best of the best by position.

To be eligible for selection, they had to play a good number of games with the Washington Capitals. We chose 10 of the best that represent the future, the present and most importantly the past.

Under those three categories we picked 10 of the best that represent that trio. We also looked at their time with the Washington Capitals and the memories of each. Two or more players could be similar in terms of stats. When it comes to that, we’ll go with who we think will be loud in chants among the crowd in the arena.

It’s always fun to guess which player is included in a list such as this and the goal of these posts is to encourage healthy debate and discussion on who deserves a spot on the top 10 all-time lists and who doesn’t.

Without further ado, here are our top 10 greatest goalies to ever suit up in a Capitals uniform. Enjoy and debate kindly Caps fans!

#10 Ilya Samsonov

Ilya Samsonov represents the present and perhaps the future of the goaltending of the Capitals. It’s why he kicks off this list.

Samsonov was selected in the first round at 22nd overall in the 2015 NHL Draft. He was named the backup prior to the season and he’s enjoying a solid rookie season going 16-6-2 with a shutout, a 2.55 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage.

For a while his hot streak sparked debate on whether or not he can be the first Capital since Alex Ovechkin to take home the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year. Samsonov was the Caps highest goalie they had taken in a draft since Olaf Kolzig at 19th overall in 1989.

The future of the goaltending situation is very questionable on whether or not the team will be able to afford Braden Holtby so it might indicate that the starer’s net could belong to Samsonov next season. If that’s the case the future is in good hands and we wish Holtby the best.

One goalie in and I know some of you might be disagreeing with me already. That’s okay. Maybe I’ll get better as these slides go on.

Click on over to number nine.

#9 Semyon Varlamov

Coming in at number nine is Semyon Varlamov who burst onto the scene in the 2008-09 season. He had a big coming out party in the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs being counted on as just a 20-year old after going 4-0-1 in the regular season. That spring saw Varlamov record two shutouts as well as post a 7-6 record along with a 2.53 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage.

The next season Varlamov went 15-4-6 with a 2.55 GAA and a .909 save percentage. In 2010-11 which turned out to be his final season in Washington, Varly went 11-9-5 with a 2.23 GAA and a .924 save percentage.

In those three seasons in a Capitals sweater, Varlamov went 30-13-12 with a 2.39 GAA and .917 save percentage. He’s currently a netminder for the New York Islanders. The Caps traded him to Colorado in that summer of 2011 for their first round pick the next year which turned out to be Filip Forsberg.

Varlamov didn’t post the best numbers but that brief spring as well as an epic save to rob Sidney Crosby will help him get remembered around Washington.

#7 Michal Neuvirth

Coming out as number seven is Michal Neuvirth who was one of the top goaltenders pre-Holtby era that was sandwiched between that and the Olaf Kolzig era. He primarily served as a backup goalie but he was a pretty reliable one.

Before he was on the Capitals he starred on the Hershey Bears and led the team to back-to-back Calder Cups. He was named started netminder of the Caps that fall of 2010. He made 27 saves on opening night on Oct. 8 against the Atlanta Thrashers in a 4-2 loss. He beat out Semyon Varlamov for the starting position that whole season.

Despite a solid season going 27-12-4, he was demoted to backup in favor of Tomas Vokoun that next season. To make matters worse, he dealt with an injury at the end of the season. So did Vokoun. This made way to Braden Holtby manning the net in the 2012 playoffs and we all know what happened there.

Neuvirth spent six seasons with the Caps playing in 134 games. He finished with a 59-41-13 record in a Caps sweater with a 2.67 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage.

Neuvirth wasn’t really a starter but a solid backup deserves a spot on this list nonetheless.

#6 Pat Riggin

Number six on our list is Pat Riggin. He spent three and a half seasons with the Capitals after the team traded for him in the summer of 1982. He was traded for Pete Peeters in November of the 1985 season.

Riggin had some ups and downs with the Caps. He had the starter’s job in 1983 but went 0-7 to begin the season. Al Jensen, who is next spoiler alert, took over at the starter’s spot. After he hurt his back, Riggin came back in the create and was stellar. That season saw them take home the Jennings Trophy for allowing the fewest goals in the league.

The next season saw Riggin remain the number one starter and won a career-high 28 games but got sick just before the start of the playoffs. Jensen stepped right in that spring.

In 1985-86, Riggin got off to a slow start and Jensen took over the job as starter. Riggin was then traded to the Boston Bruins for Pete Peeters.

Riggin played in 143 games with the Caps finishing with a 67-46-19 record with a 3.03 goals-against average and a .883 save percentage. He came close to winning the Vezina Trophy twice, finishing third in 1983-84 and fourth the next season. He was a heck of a goalie who could have had even more success if he wasn’t bit with the injury bug.

#5 Al Jensen

Al Jensen comes in at number five on our list. He enjoyed a career-resurgence in Washington during his six seasons with the team. He played in 26 games in the 1981-82 season as a backup to Mike Palmateer and had an 8-8-4 record.

The next two seasons saw Jensen and Pat Riggin form one of the top goaltending tandems in the league so much so that they shared the Willam M. Jennings trophy in 1984.

The next season saw Jensen play in just 14 games in a season riddled by injury. Jensen came back in the 1985-86 season to post a 28-9-3 record and help the Caps set a then-franchise record 107 points.

His time with the Caps ended shortly after as the Caps went with Bob Mason in goal while trading Jensen to the Los Angeles Kings. He retired after playing in 20 AHL games.

Jensen played in 173 games with the Caps and posted a 94-48-18 record with a 3.27 goals-against average and a .883 save percentage.

Jensen finished top 10 in the Vezina Trophy voting twice. In 1983-84 he came in third in the Vezina voting and shared the Jennings trophy while in 1985-86, Jensen finished ninth.

We are now just over halfway through this list with four more players left.

#4 Don Beaupre

Don Beaupre is the godfather of Washington Capitals goalies and he comes in at number four on our list. He was drafted by the Minnesota North Stars in the 1980 NHL Draft in the second round at 37th overall. He was traded to the Caps early in the 1988-89 season.

Beaupre played a handful of games in Washington before being sent down to the AHL. He came back stronger in the 1989-90 season winning 23 games in 48 appearances helping the Capitals to their first semifinals appearance in franchise history.

Beaupre’s play as well as the Capitals strong defense helped him lead the NHL with five shutouts in the 1990-91 season while winning a career-high 29 games the next season.

Beaupre spent two more seasons with the Capitals. In 1992-93 he went 27-23-5 while going 24-16-8 his final season in Washington with a 2.84 goals-against average and an .880 save percentage.

When it came to the mid-1990’s the Caps were looking to none other than Olaf Kolzig to lead them between the pipes. They shopped Beaupre to the Ottawa Senators where he suited up in 71 games over two seasons.

In six seasons with the Capitals, Beaupre played in 269 games and posted a 128-96-27 record with a 3.05 GAA and an .886 save percentage.

#3 Jim Carey

Jim Carey comes in as the third best goaltender in Capitals history. Nope not the actor.

Carey was drafted in the second round by the Caps at 32nd overall in the 1992 NHL Draft. He spent two and a half seasons with the Caps in the beginning of his short NHL career. His first season in 1994-95 saw him go 18-6-3 with a 2.13 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage.

The next season saw him go 35-24-9 with a 2.26 GAA and a .906 save percentage with a league-leading nine shutouts. The next season saw him go 17-18-3 with a 2.75 GAA and a .893 save percentage before he was traded to the Boston Bruins in 1997. His stat line with the Caps is 70-48-15 in 139 games played with a 2.37 GAA and a .904 save percentage.

Carey had a family full of athletes. His dad was an all-American high school football player and his brother was in the Baltimore Orioles system. When Jim was younger he actually played forward not goaltender.

Carey went undefeated in his first seven games in 1994-95. The next season he played in 71 games and won the Vezina Trophy setting several team records. That next fall he was a backup to Mike Richter on Team USA’s World Cup team and then was traded to Boston the next season.

#2 Braden Holtby

Number two on this list and number one in our hearts is Braden Holtby. He led the league in wins for two years in a row and won the Vezina Trophy in 2016 after a 48-win season.

Holtby has suited up for 468 games and has gone 282-122-46 with a .916 save percentage and a 2.53 goals-against average.

Following his 48-win season, Holtby went 42-13-6 with a .925 save percentage and a 2.07 GAA. The next season saw Holtby struggle but he regained his net in the playoffs and helped backstop the Caps to the Stanley Cup. In that run, Holtby went 16-7 with a 2.16 GAA and a .922 save percentage.

Holtby made his NHL debut on Nov. 5, 2010 against the Boston Bruins coming into the game to replace Michal Neuvirth with 10 minutes remaining and the game tied at three. Holtby stopped all four shots he faced and the Caps scored twice to get the win. Two days later, he got his first NHL win against the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2.

Holtby became real popular in the 2012 playoffs after both Neuvirth and Tomas Vokoun were hurt. Holtby helped backstop the Capitals to a first round upset over the then defending Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins and Holtby hasn’t looked back since.

#1 Olaf Kolzig

Coming in at #1 on this list is none other than Olaf Kolzig aka “Olie the Goalie” or “Godzilla”. He played in 711 games in a Capitals sweater as well as a lifetime 90.6% save percentage, 2.70 goals against average and a team-record 35 shutouts. He is one of the most beloved Caps players of all time and it’s a crime that his number hasn’t been hung on the Capital One Arena rafters just yet. Nobody has donned the number 37 since.

In 1995-96, Kolzig got his shot as a backup recall to starter Jim Carey. He became an established starter two seasons later. Kolzig turned his record around after that stretch from 14-36-8 to 33-18-10 with a 2.20 GAA and a .920 save percentage that season. He also helped backstop the Caps to their first ever trip to the Stanley Cup Final that spring.

Kolzig had four shutouts in that postseason of 1998 to go along with a 12-9 record with a 1.93 GAA and a .941 save percentage.

Kolzig had a down season the next year but rebounded with a Vezina winning season in the 1999-00 campaign where he went 41-20-11 with a 2.24 GAA and a .917 save percentage with five shutouts.

Those are our 10 best goalies of all-time, who are yours Caps fans?