When it comes to statistically the best defensemen in NHL history in points, the first name is Ray Bourque, who played for the Boston Bruins and Colorado Avalanche. He finished with 410 goals and 1,169 assists for 1,579 points in 1,612 games. Following Bourque is Paul Coffey with 1,531 points, and in third place, is Al MacInnis with 1,274 points. Then, fourth on the list is Phil Housley, who accrued 1,232 points in a span of 1,495 games. He traveled around and played for eight teams during his career, including the Washington Capitals. His time in D.C. was not long, and many may not remember that he suited up for the organization, but he is an influential defenseman overall and was a leader and mentor for many by being an example on the ice.
Wowie Housley
Housley was selected sixth overall in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft by the Buffalo Sabres, one pick after the Capitals drafted their own blueliner, Scott Stevens. It was an important draft for the Sabres in their history, as they had two other picks in the first round, selecting forwards Paul Cyr and Dave Andreychuk. Housley is one of the best defenders in Sabres history, while Andreychuk is currently second all-time in Sabres points, with Gilbert Perreault being first.
Housley in his rookie campaign produced 19 goals and 47 assists for 66 points in 77 games. Only Perreault (76) and forward Tony McKegney (73) had more points. He had some nice defensemen to learn from in that locker room, such as Mike Ramsey and Lindy Ruff. He did not need any guidance with putting points on the board though, and he crushed it statistically. Below are all the points he got while with the Sabres:
- 1982-83: 19 goals and 47 assists for 66 points in 77 games
- 1983-84: 31 goals and 46 assists for 77 points in 75 games
- 1984-85: 16 goals and 53 assists for 69 points in 73 games
- 1985-86: 15 goals and 47 assists for 62 points in 79 games
- 1986-87: 21 goals and 46 assists for 67 points in 78 games
- 1987-88: 29 goals and 37 assists for 66 points in 74 games
- 1988-89: 26 goals and 44 assists for 70 points in 72 games
- 1989-90: 21 goals and 60 assists for 81 points in 80 games
After Housley would score, the late and great voice of the Sabres, Rick Jeanneret, would say “Wowie Housley!” It was understandable why. The skills Housley showed off on the ice would wow some fans. He was quite talented.
Prior to the 1990-91 season, Housley was traded to the Winnipeg Jets in a massive move that saw star forward Dale Hawerchuk heading back to Buffalo. Changing locations did not hold Housley back. He kept putting up offensive stats upon offensive stats. This included what would be his career high in points in the 1992-93 campaign. He tallied 97 points in 80 games (18 goals and 79 assists).
Following his time in Winnipeg, Housley started to hop between different teams. He went to the St. Louis Blues for the 1993-94 campaign, where he posted seven goals and 15 assists for 22 points in 26 games. The following season, he was suiting up for the Calgary Flames. 1995-96 saw him split time between the Flames and then the New Jersey Devils. Following that hockey campaign, Housley made his way to D.C. to play for the Capitals.
Short Yet Productive D.C. Stint
The Caps came off the 1995-96 season with a lot of key players in place. Peter Bondra had a 52-goal campaign, and he had talent around him that included Michal Pivonka, Joe Juneau, Steve Konowalchuk, and Keith Jones. On the blue line; Washington consisted of a young Sergei Gonchar, Sylvain Cote, Calle Johansson, Ken Klee, and Mark Tinordi among others that season. Housley joined the team prior to the 1996-97 campaign and immediately became the best point scorer on defense. He finished the 1996-97 season with 40 points (11 goals and 29 assists) in 77 games. That was good for fifth on the entire team. Only Bondra, Dale Hunter, Konowalchuk, and Juneau had more. Unfortunately, while Housley and his teammates had solid individual successes, the team fell short and just missed the 1997 Playoffs.
Related: Revisiting the 1997-98 Capitals’ Stanley Cup Final Run
1997-98 was when the team’s success followed. Bondra was back to hitting the 50-goal mark, Adam Oates was second on the team in points with 76, Johansson led defenders with 15 goals and 20 assists for 35 points, and Konowalchuk had 34 points. Housley was tied with Juneau for fifth on the team with 31 points (six goals and 25 assists). Also, in net, Olaf Kolzig was establishing himself as the goalie that Caps fans know of today. The 1997-98 Caps team made the playoffs as the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference and finished with a record of 40-30-12 for 92 points.
The Caps went on a run during the 1998 postseason. They went all the way to the Stanley Cup Final to play against the defending champion Detroit Red Wings. Unfortunately, Washington could not take care of business, and they were swept by the Red Wings in four games. Housley played in 18 of those playoff games during that run, and notched four assists.
Post-Caps Tenure
Following his time in D.C., Housley went back to Calgary for his second stint with the Flames. He spent three seasons there and had 54, 55, and 34 points for those campaigns. He then finished his career with Original Six franchises in the Chicago Blackhawks and Toronto Maple Leafs. He was on the Blackhawks for the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons and was still posting great numbers considering it was getting toward the end of his time in the league. These are the numbers he had in Chicago:
- 2001-02: 15 goals and 24 assists for 39 points in 80 games
- 2002-03: six goals and 23 assists for 29 points in 57 games
While Housley may be forgotten for his time in Washington, his time in Toronto could be more forgotten. It was one regular-season game, and he went pointless. He did have three postseason games as well for the Maple Leafs and did not get a single point in those either. After that, Housley officially retired from playing. He has since gotten into coaching and was even the head coach for the Sabres for a couple seasons.
Housley will always be remembered for his days as a Sabre or Jet as opposed to his time as a Capital or for some of the other teams he played for. Even though he did some moving around in the later parts of his career, he still is one of the most offensive defenders to ever play the sport. His talents made him a special player and he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2015 as a result. Even though he was only in Washington for a couple seasons, he really made them count by helping put the organization in a position to go to the Stanley Cup Final. He might not be remembered for his time in D.C., but he will always have a place in Caps history.
