Capitals: Top 10 greatest forwards of all-time
The Washington Capitals have had plenty of forwards that lit the lamp.
We’ll highlight many of these Washington Capitals players here. They’ve been around for four decades and they’ve had plenty of good forwards in the history of their franchise. There have been many great players that have donned the red, white and blue sweater (sometimes black).
To be eligible for selection, the forwards had to have played a good number of games with the Capitals. We picked 10 forwards that best contributed to the team’s success. Some of these numbers may be similar and if that’s the case we’ll go with who we think resonates well with the fanbase. Maybe one that gets a louder chant 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 among the Caps fans and discussion on who deserves a top 10 spot all time and who does not.
Without further ado, here are the Top 10 greatest Capitals forwards of all time. Let us know what you think of the selections and debate kindly Capitals fans!
#10 Dmitri Khristich
Dmitri Khristich was drafted in the sixth round at 120th overall in 1988. His first season in 1990-91 saw him score 13 goals and add 14 assists for 27 points in 40 games. His next season was his best season where he scored 36 goals and added 37 assists for 73 points.
In 1992-93 Khristich scored 31 goals and added 35 assists for 66 points. He did all that despite beginning the season with a broken foot injury. He added two goals and five assists in the playoffs.
The next year he added 29 goals and 29 assists for 58 points and added two goals and two assists when the Capitals finally defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins in the playoffs. He followed that up with 12 goals and 14 assists for 26 points in what turned out to be his final season in Washington.
In July of 1995 he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings, officially ending his time in D.C.
Before there was Alex Ovechkin, Khristich was the Russian goal scorer the Capitals boasted. Oh and he also happened to don the number eight as well. He played in 811 games for the Capitals, Kings, Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Khristich finished his Capitals career playing in 419 games over seven seasons scoring 140 goals and adding 160 assists for 300 points.
#9 Steve Konowalchuk
Steve Konowalchuk was drafted by the Capitals in the third round at 58th overall in 1991. He spent 13 years with the Caps having a pretty solid career. Konowalchuk has a two-way game and became an instant fan favorite in D.C.
After appearing in one game in the 1991-92 season he played in 36 games the next year scoring four goals and adding seven assists for 11 points. He scored his first NHL goal on Halloween night of 1992 in Edmonton. His 1992-93 season was split between NHL and AHL action.
The next two seasons saw Konowalchuk score 12 and 11 goals before posting a then career-high 23 goals in 1995-96 in 70 games. In 1996, Konowalchuk helped lead Team USA to a title in the first ever World Cup of Hockey.
Konowalchuk added double digit goals and assists the next four seasons including a career-high 24 goals and 23 assists in the 2000-01 season. The next year he was named a co-captain with defenseman Brendan Witt. In 2002-03 he was promoted to sole team captain. He added 15 goals and 15 assists in 77 games.
The 2003-04 season was a horrible one right from the start with the Caps going winless in five of their first six games. This prompted a change and the Caps responded by trading Konowalchuk, the first of a big fire sale that also included shopping Peter Bondra. It was the beginning of their rebuild.
#8 Adam Oates
Coming in at number eight is an impact center for seven seasons. Adam Oates was more popular as a player during his time in D.C. As a coach? Not so much. But this posts recognizes people from their playing days which is why he makes this list.
Oates was traded to the Caps by the Boston Bruins back in March of 1997. The rest of the way Oates played in 17 games and scored four goals and added eight assists for 12 points.
In 1997-98, Oates had his best season in the District with 18 goals and 58 assists for 76 points. That spring he helped lead the Caps to their first appearance in the Stanley Cup Final where he scored six goals and added 11 assists for 17 points.
Oates added 12 goals and 42 assists for 54 points in 1998-99, 15 goals and 56 assists for 71 points in 1999-00, 13 goals and a nice 69 assists for 82 points in 2000-01.
The next season saw Oates score 11 goals and add 57 assists for 68 points before he was traded in March of 2002 to the Philadelphia Flyers.
One of the best qualities of Oates was his ability to avoid the sin bin as well as his speed and playmaking skills. Oates played in a total of 387 games with the Capitals scoring 73 goals and added 290 assists for 363 points.
#7 Dennis Maruk
Coming in at number seven is a impact player from back in the day. Dennis Maruk actually had a season that was even better than an Ovechkin one when he scored a whooping 136 points during the 1981-82 season, including 60 goals and 76 assists. The most Ovechkin had in a season is 112 points.
Maruk was traded to the Capitals by Minnesota back in the beginning of the 1978-79 season. He went on to score 31 goals and add 59 assists for 90 points. Those assists and points led the team while his 31 goals tied for the team lead.
His next season saw him score 10 goals and add 17 assists for 27 points in 27 games in what was an injury plagued second season. In the 1980-81 season Maruk scored 50 goals and added 47 assists for 97 points before that monster 136 point season the next year.
His next season was his final season in D.C. where he scored 31 goals and added 50 assists for 81 points. He also had one playoff goal and an assist in four games. That July of 1983 he was traded back to Minnesota for a second rounder the next year which turned out to be Stephen Leach.
Maruk was unique with his mustache and height at just five foot eight and 175 pounds. The center was known to his teammates as “Pee Wee” and made up for his lack of size with grittiness all over the ice.
#6 Kelly Miller
Kelly Miller spent 13 seasons with the Capitals. He was traded to the Caps from the New York Rangers in 1987 and it was a trade that paid dividends. Miller scored 10 goals and added 12 assists for 22 points his remaining first season in Washington.
In 1987-88 Miller scored nine goals and added 23 assists for 32 points. The next year saw him score 19 goals and add 21 assists for 40 points. His third season in 1989-90 saw him score 18 goals and add 22 assists for 40 points. In 1990-91, Miller posted a career-high 24 goals and added 26 assists for 50 points.
Miller added 14 goals and 38 assists for 52 points in 1991-92, 18 goals and 27 assists for 45 points in 1992-93, 14 goals and 25 assists for 39 points in 1993-94, 10 goals and 13 assists for 23 points in 1994-95, seven goals and 13 assists for 20 points in 1995-96, 10 goals and 14 assists for 24 points in 1996-0=97, seven goals and seven assists for 14 points in 1997-98 and two goals and five assists for seven points in 1998-99.
Miller was traded with Mike Ridley and Bob Crawford in exchange for Bobby Carpenter and the trade wound up to be one of the best in Capitals history.
Miller didn’t have the offensive touch like an Ovechkin but nonetheless was still a fan favorite. Only once was Miller able to surpass the 20 goal mark in D.C. but was more of a defensive specialist.
#5 Mike Gartner
Mike Gartner is the most recent Caps player to have his number retired. He was drafted by the Capitals in the first round at fourth overall in 1979.
During his time in Washington there wasn’t a time where Gartner scored less than 30 goals. His first season saw him score 36 goals and add 32 assists for 68 points. Gartner won the team’s rookie and MVP awards at the end of the season. The next year in 1980-81 saw him score 48 goals and add 46 assists for 94 points.
Gartner added 35 goals and 45 assists for 80 points the next season then went on to score 38 and 40 goals respectively. In the 1984-85 season Gartner scored 50 goals. He added 35 goals and 40 assists for 75 points in 19-85-86.
In 1987-88, after a 41 goal season the previous year, Gartner scored 48 goals and added 33 assists for 81 points. The next year, Gartner had 26 goals and 29 assists for 55 points before he was traded midseason in March of 1989 to the Minnesota North Stars.
Gartner had his jersey number retired on Dec. 28, 2008. He is the last player to have his number retired by the Capitals. In 2001, Gartner was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Gartner holds the NHL record for most consecutive 30-goal seasons with 15 which is tied by ironically Jaromir Jagr and Alex Ovechkin. He also has the NHL record for most 30 goal seasons with 17.
#4 Dale Hunter
Before there was Tom Wilson living rent free in opposing teams fans heads there was Dale Hunter who was a Caps center for 12 seasons as well as a coach for half a season. He currently coaches the London Knights guiding along future Caps star Connor McMichael. Hunter even served as team captain from 1994-1999.
Hunter leads the Caps in career penalty minutes with 2,0003. On the night of his number getting retired he had the penalty box of the old Capital Centre bestowed to him as a gift.
Hunter scored 22 goals and 37 assists for 59 points his first season in Washington in 1987-88. He also scored a clutch goal that spring against the Philadelphia Flyers to help the Caps advance to the next round. At the time, it was the greatest playoff goal in Caps history just prior to the 2018 Cup run.
Hunter had five seasons where he scored 20 or more goals with his best season coming in 1991-92 where he scored 28 goals and added 50 assists for 78 points. In the playoffs he continued to shine. In the 1993 Patrick Division Semifinals against the New York Islanders, Hunter led the team with seven playoff goals.
After Bruce Boudreau was fired in the winter of 2011, Hunter took over as interim head coach for the remainder of the season. He guided the Caps to the second round all the way to Game 7 before coming up short to the New York Rangers.
#3 Nicklas Backstrom
Coming in at number three on our list is none other than Nicklas Backstrom, the most underrated playmaking center in the league.
Backstrom is the most skilled passers in the league and has had six consecutive seasons of 50 or more assists since the 2013-14 season. This season (2019-20 if you’re reading this then) before the pause, Backstrom had 42 assists and was well on his way to his seventh straight season of 50 assists.
Backstrom has gone on to become the Capitals all-time franchise leader in assists and is second all-time in franchise points behind Alex Ovechkin. Backstrom was introduced by Ovechkin on his draft night being selected fourth overall in 2006.
Backstrom recorded his first NHL point assisting on a goal by Michael Nylander against the Atlanta Thrashers. His rookie campaign got better once he got promoted to the top line next to Ovechkin where the two became inseparable.
Backstrom is more than just a sidekick to Ovechkin, he’s a hero this city needs and an impact player that deserves more accolades than he already has. Perhaps he’d have more if he wasn’t on the same team as Ovechkin but thankfully we don’t have to worry about that.
Backstrom is perhaps the best center to ever suit up in a Capitals uniform and deserves this spot on our list.
#2 Peter Bondra
Before there was #1 on our list there was Peter Bondra who lit the lamp in Washington. Bondra was one of the biggest faces of the Capitals throughout the 1990’s and the early part of the new century. The team drafted him in the eighth round at 156th overall in the 1990 NHL Draft. Prior to his draft selection, Bondra played four seasons with HC Kosice of the Czechoslovakian League.
Bondra scored 12 goals in his rookie season and added 28 his second year. Bondra’s third season saw him score 37 goals and 85 points. However, his most memorable game came in his fourth season. On Feb. 5, 1994 Bondra had a five-goal game against the Tampa Bay Lightning which included four goals in the first period.
In the season the Caps made their run to their first appearance in the Stanley Cup Final in 1997-98, Bondra led the league with 52 goals and 13 game winning goals. In the playoffs he added seven goals and five assists and had a clutch goal in overtime in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals to give the Caps a 2-1 series lead.
After Bondra’s numbers dipped from 31 to 21 goals, respectively, the next two years, Bondra rebounded in the 2000-01 season with 45 goals including a league-leading 22 on the power play.
#1 Alex Ovechkin
Rounding out this list is the man that needs no introduction. Alex Ovechkin not only changed the franchise but has left an impact in the area as well. Youth participation in hockey has gone way up since Ovechkin entered the league in the DMV area. Ovechkin has also shattered several franchise records and is on his way to possibly breaking the ultimate record of all.
In the 2019-20 season before the pause Ovechkin showed zero signs of slowing down with a league-leading 48 goals. Last season he scored 51. The year before that? 49.
This year Ovechkin scored his 700th career goal and so far he has 706 goals in 15 seasons. It’s a shame his career has been slowed down by lockouts but Ovechkin has done his best to more than make up for it.
Ovechkin has led the league in goals nine times throughout his NHL career. His rookie season saw him win a Calder Trophy with 52 goals. His third season saw Ovechkin score a whooping 65 on his way to his first Hart Trophy as the league’s MVP. Don’t expect him to stop anytime soon.
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Those are our top 10 forwards of all-time. Who are your top 10 forwards Caps fans? Let us know in the comments!