The Washington Capitals have a number eight who makes headlines night after night and has been doing so for the last 20 years. But believe it or not the Caps have already retired a number seven meaning nobody can wear it. Ovechkin's big day will come someday but in this piece we're talking about Yvon Labre.
Labre was selected by the Capitals in the 1974 Expansion Draft and spent seen seasons with the Caps and was team captain for two and a half seasons. He is credited with having scored the very first home goal in Capitals franchise history, doing so against Rogie Vachon of the Los Angeles Kings.
Labre would get his number retired by the organizaion on Nov. 22, 1980. "Yvon Labre was like a father to all of us," said Paul Mulvey, a forward on the Capitals from 1979-1981.
"You talk about a pioneer," said Guy Charron, a Caps forward from 1976-1981. "Here's a guy who's been here from the very get go."
"A guy who was never down. You'd interview him after some of the worst losses and he would try and look for the positives in everything. "Al Koken/Monumental Sports Network
Mulvey added,"That's how he grew to be the name in in the face of the Capitals early on."
Yvon Labre noted in the video above, "I just love playing. No doubt about it."
Labre was no Mike Green or John Carlson, that is a blueliner with a lot of offense, but he did manage to record two seasons of 20 plus points with 27 in 1974-75 and 22 in 1975-76. He was known for defense and shutting down the opposition and was very active in the community. He still is active and participates in charity and alumni events to this day.
As a team captain back then, Labre led by example and played quality defense earning respect from his teammates and opponents alike. He finished his seven seasons with the Capitals with 12.8 defensive point shares which are the number of points a player contributes due to their defense.
Labre would retire after the 1980-81 season having suited up in 334 of his 371 NHL games with the Washington Capitals. After his retiring he held a number of roles with the team including assistant coach, color commentator, scout and even a director of community relations role.
Labre is one of four Capitals players to have their number retired so far in the 50 years of the franchise.