Washington Capitals: Top 5 greatest centers of all-time
We’ve counted down the greatest right wingers and left wingers in Washington Capitals history. Now it’s time to look at one of the most important positions of the forwards, the centers. Basically the quarterback of the ice. We all probably know who number one is but who are the other four?
#5 Michal Pivonka
Michal Pivonka was selected by the Capitals in the third round at 59th overall in the 1984 NHL Draft. He spent all 13 years of his NHL career with the Caps. Appearing in 825 total games, Pivonka scored 181 goals and added 418 assists for 599 points. HIs rookie season was in 1986-87 in a year that saw him score 18 goals and 25 assists for 43 points.
The following year he scored 11 goals and added 23 assists for 35 points. His next year saw him score eight goals and 19 assists for 27 points. He bounced back in 1989-90 with a career high 25 goals and 39 assists for 64 points. The next year he had 20 goals and 50 assists for 70 points.
1991-92 Pivonka had 23 goals and 57 assists for 80 points. The next year he had 21 goals and 53 assists for 74 points. Pivonka added 14 and 10 goals, respectively, the next two seasons. In 1995-96, he recorded 16 goals and 65 assists for 81 points.
Pivonka was the original playmaking center, like an 80s and 90s version of Nicklas Backstrom.
#4 Mike Ridley
Acquired by the Caps in January of 1987 with Bob Crawford and Kelly Miller from the New York Rangers, Mike Ridley was the center in that package and finished the rest of that season with 15 goals and 19 assists for 34 points.
Ridley’s first full season with the Caps saw him score 28 goals and add 31 assists for 59 points. In 1988-89, he was even better with a career high 41 goals and 48 assists for 89 points. The next year Ridley scored 30 goals and added 43 assists for 73 points. He followed that up with 23 goals and 48 assists for 71 points.
Ridley rebounded in 1991-92 with 29 goals and 40 assists for a nice 69 points. The final two years saw Ridley have back to back 26 goal seasons with 56 assists the first year and 44 the final year. Ridley spent eight seasons with the Capitals playing in 588 games.
Ridley scored 218 career goals in a Capitals sweater while adding 329 assists for 547 points. He was a reliable forward and center with a creative style of play that was fun to watch. He played in a unique era where point per game forwards and centers weren’t that hard to come by but it was still impressive.
Ridley was like an 80s and 90s version of a (good) Evgeny Kuznetsov.
#3 Dennis Maruk
Believe it or not, Dennis Maruk actually had a season that was even better than Alex Ovechkin. The best season Ovechkin had was when he recorded 112. Maruk had 136 points during the 1981-82 season with 60 goals and 70 assists.
Maruk was traded to the Capitals by Minnesota in the beginning of the 1978-79 season. He went on to score 31 goals and add 59 assists for 90 points. The assists and points led the team while his 31 goals tied for the team lead. The next season saw him score 10 goals and add 17 assists for 27 points in 27 games. Although the numbers dipped it was because it was an injury plagued season.
In the 1980-81 season, Maruk scored 50 goals and had 47 assists for 90 points before that ginormous 136 point season the next year. That next season after that was his final season in D.C. where he scored 31 goals and added 50 assists for 81 points. He also had a goal and an assist in four playoff games. In July of 1983 he was traded back to the Minnesota North Stars for a second round pick the next year that turned out to be Stephen Leach.
Maruk was a unique player, boasted a killer mustache, and was known by his teammates with the nickname “pee wee”.
#2 Dale Hunter
Dale Hunter was the Caps old version of Tom Wilson. Like Wilson, Hunter lived rent free in his opponent’s heads. Hunter was a Caps center for 12 seasons and a head coach for half a season. He served as a team captain from 1994-1999. He currently coaches the London Knights and has coached top prospect Connor McMichael.
Hunter leads the Caps in career penalty minutes with 2,003. On the night of his number retirement, he received the penalty box from the old Capital Centre as a gift. Hunter scored 22 goals and 37 assists for 59 points in his first season with the Caps in 1987-88. He also scored a clutch goal that spring against the Philadelphia Flyers that helped the Caps advance to the next round. At that time, it was the greatest playoff goal in Caps history.
Hunter had five seasons where he scored 20 or more goals. His best season came in 1991-92 where he scored 28 goals and added 50 assists for 78 points. In the playoffs he led the team with seven goals in the 1993 Patrick Division Semifinals.
After Bruce Boudreau was fired in Nov. 2011, Hunter took over as interim head coach for the remainder of the season. He guided the Caps to a first round upset over the Boston Bruins before bowing out in the second round in seven games to the New York Rangers.
#1 Nicklas Backstrom
Nicklas Backstrom is number 19 in your programs and number one both on this list and in your hearts. He’s the number one playmaking center of all time. He’s also one of the most skilled passers and finished last season with 38 assists. He would’ve easily had 50 if the season was longer, 82 games and not 56.
Backstrom has gone on to become the Capitals all time franchise leaders in assists and is second all time in franchise points behind Alex Ovechkin. Backstrom also became the second player in Capitals history to suit up for 1,000 games all with the Caps. Ovechkin introduced Backstrom as their first round draft pick on stage in 2006.
Backstrom recorded his first NHL point by assisting on a goal by Michael Nylander against the Atlanta Thrashers. His rookie campaign skyrocketed once he got bumped up to the top line with Ovechkin where the two would become inseparable.
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In addition to 38 assists, Backstrom had 15 goals. In his career with the Caps he has recorded 980 points with 258 goals and 722 assists. He could reach 1,000 points this upcoming season. Backstrom is easily the best center to suit up in a Washington Capitals uniform and it’s no doubt he finished number one on this list.