Washington Capitals: Top 10 defensemen of all-time

#10 Karl Alzner

Karl Alzner was taken fifth overall in 2007 and was the backbone to an improving Caps defense for nine seasons. Alzner was a mainstay on the “Carlzner” pair with young up and coming defensemen John Carlson.

Alzner was dubbed the franchise’s “Ironman” when he suited up for a record 599 consecutive games before it ended in the 2017 playoffs with an upper body injury.

Alzner began the 2008-09 season with the Hershey Bears but on Nov. 26, 2008 he was called up to the Caps to make his NHL debut that night against the Atlanta Thrashers. He recorded his first NHL point with an assist on Dec. 4 against the New York Islanders then scored his first NHL goal during the next game two nights later against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Alzner was sent back down to Hershey in late January as the defense was healthy and helped the Bears win a Calder Cup that spring. Alzner was called up several times in 2009-10 and began playing on a pair with Carlson in Game 7 of the first round against the Montreal Canadiens. After that early exit, Alzner held win another Calder Cup with the Bears.

Fast forward to the 2015-16 season, Alzner would become the Caps all-time leader in consecutive games played, passing Bobby Carpenter for the franchise record with 423 consecutive games played. This streak began in the 2010-11 season.