Washington Capitals: Top 5 goalies in team history
We’ve looked at the top 5 centers, right wingers, and left wingers in Washington Capitals history. Next up is the goalies.
#5 Al Jensen
Al Jensen will come in at number five. During his six seasons with the Caps he enjoyed a career resurgence. First he played in 26 games during the 1981-82 season as a backup to Mike Palmateer, posting an 8-8-4 record.
The next two seasons saw Jensen and Pat Riggin form one of the top tandems in the league and the duo shared the William Jennings Trophy in 1984.
Jensen played in just 14 games the next season as he was dealing with injuries. He 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 team went with Bob Mason in goal while trading Jensen to the Los Angeles Kings. After playing in 20 AHL games, he hung up his skates. Jensen finished his career playing in 173 games with the Caps with a 94-48-18 record with a 3.27 goals against average and an .883 save percentage.
Jensen finished top 10 in the Vezina Trophy voting twice including coming in third in the Vezina voting in 1983-84. In 1985-86, Jensen came in ninth.
#4 Don Beaupre
Don Beaupre was drafted by the Minnesota North Stars in the 1980 NHL Draft and would later become The Godfather of Washington Capitals goalies. He was selected in the second round at 37th overall and traded to the Caps early in the 1988-89 season. He comes out as number four on our list.
Beaupre played a handful of games with the Caps before being sent down to the AHL. He came back stronger in the 1989-90 season winning 23 games in 48 appearances and helping the Capitals to their first semifinals appearance in franchise history.
Beaupre’s outstanding 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. He spent two more seasons with the Caps. In 1992-93 he went 27-23-5 while going 24-16-8 his final season in D.C. with a 2.84 goals against average and an .880 save percentage.
The Caps turned to Olaf Kolzig in the mid 1990’s and as a result 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 reared with a 3.05 goals against average and an .886 save percentage.
#3 Jim Carey
Nope not the actor. Jim Carey is a goaltender who comes in at number three on our list. He 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 Carey went 35-24-9 with a 2.26 goals against average and a .906 save percentage. The next year he went 17-18-3 with a 2.75 goals against average and a .893 save percentage before he was traded to the Boston Bruins in 1997. His stat line with the Caps finished at 70-48-15 in 139 games played with a 2.37 goals against average and a .904 save percentage.
Carey’s family was filled with 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 was a forward and not a 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.
#2 Braden Holtby
Number two on this list and number one in our hearts. Braden Holtby is still missed around here. He played last season with the Vancouver Canucks and signed with the Dallas Stars this offseason.
While Holtby was with the Caps he was stellar. He led the league in wins in back to back years, won the Vezina Trophy as the league’s top goaltender in 2016 and helped backstop the Capitals to their first Stanley Cup in 2018.
Holtby spent 10 seasons with the Caps playing in 468 games. His record finished out as 282-122-46 with a 2.53 goals against average and a .916 save percentage. Holtby has made incredible highlight reel worthy saves but none were bigger than the one he made in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights.
With Alex Tuch having a wide open shot, he was for sure going to tie it. Holtby said no in the biggest way possible, making the stop right with his stick. It will forever be called The Save.
Holtby began to establish himself as a young buck in 2012 that wasn’t quite a rookie but in the middle of his first full season nonetheless. He helped lead the Caps to a first round upset over the Boston Bruins.
#1 Olaf Kolzig
Coming in at number one on our list for number one goalie in team history is none other than Olaf Kolzig aka “Godzilla”. He played in 711 games with the Capitals and had a lifetime 90.6 percent save percentage, a 2.70 goals against average and a team record 35 shutouts. He’s one of the most beloved Caps players of all time and deserves to have his number retired.
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 in that stretch from 14-36-8 to 33-18-10 with a 2.20 goals against average and a .920 save percentage. He also helped backstop the Caps to their first ever appearance in the Stanley Cup Final that spring.
During that Spring, Kolzig had four shutouts along with a 12-9 record with a 1.93 goals against average and a .941 save percentage. Kolzig had a down season the next year but rebounded the next season winning the Vezina in 1999-00 going 41-20-11 with a 2.24 goals against average and a .917 save percentage with five shutouts.
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Olaf Kolzig is easily the top Capitals goalie of all time with Braden Holtby coming in a close second. But I know some people would rather see Holtby as number one. Still it’s a close one and you can’t go wrong with either.