When the hockey world thinks about the Washington Capitals, there are obvious names that come up. If talking about the present or recent history, Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, John Carlson, TJ Oshie, and Braden Holtby will come to mind. If talking about the more-distant past, some players mentioned would be Peter Bondra, Kevin Hatcher, Sergei Gonchar, Dale Hunter, and others. With those who are remembered for their time in Washington, there are those who are also forgotten. Maybe they only played one season for the club, or they are more remembered for their time on other teams. There are many who can fit this bill in Caps history, but here are five notable ones.
Zdeno Chara
When Zdeno Chara wrapped up his time with the Boston Bruins, many hockey fans believed the giant defenseman would call it a career. He had suited up for that franchise since he joined the team before the 2006-07 campaign and was a core member during the franchise’s Stanley Cup victory against the Vancouver Canucks in 2011. He had 14 goals and 30 assists for 44 points in 81 games that season.
Chara became a figure of Boston sports in general. He and Patrice Bergeron represented Boston hockey.
Instead of retiring though, the former Bs blueliner signed a one-year contract with the Capitals prior to the 2020-21 NHL season. Seeing Chara in any other jersey other than Boston’s was weird at that point. His point production had dropped off from his prime, so the Caps knew they were not getting the same Chara from seasons ago. Chara put up two goals and eight assists for 10 points in 55 games that season.
Chara also played in five postseason games for Washington, going pointless in all of them. Then, his time in D.C. was up as quickly as it began. He signed with the New York Islanders for the following season, before officially hanging up his skates in 2022. Looking at his career as a whole, he produced 209 goals and 471 assists for 680 points in 1,680 games. He is a future Hockey Hall of Fame inductee, and he will always be remembered for his size, how fast his shot was, and being a fierce leader on the ice. He will be remembered more for his days in Boston though, and not as much as his season as a Cap.
Sergei Fedorov
During the 1990s, the Detroit Red Wings’ Russian Five were a dominant group. There was Igor Larionov, Slava Kozlov, Vladimir Konstantinov, Slava Fetisov, and last but certainly not least, Sergei Fedorov. Those talents; along with players like Steve Yzerman, Nicklas Lidstrom, and Brendan Shanahan; made the Red Wings into one of the most dangerous teams in the league.
Fedorov, throughout his time in Detroit, was a scoring machine. He accumulated the following regular-season totals while donning the Winged Wheel:
- 1990-91: 31 goals and 48 assists for 79 points in 77 games
- 1991-92: 32 goals and 54 assists for 86 points in 80 games
- 1992-93: 34 goals and 53 assists for 87 points in 73 games
- 1993-94: 56 goals and 64 assists for 120 points in 82 games
- 1994-95: 20 goals and 30 assists for 50 points in 42 games
- 1995-96: 39 goals and 68 assists for 107 points in 78 games
- 1996-97: 30 goals and 33 assists for 63 points in 74 games
- 1997-98: six goals and 11 assists for 17 points in 21 games
- 1998-99: 26 goals and 37 assists for 63 points in 77 games
- 1999-00: 27 goals and 35 assists for 62 points in 68 games
- 2000-01: 32 goals and 37 assists for 69 points in 75 games
- 2001-02: 31 goals and 37 assists for 68 points in 81 games
- 2002-03: 36 goals and 47 assists for 83 points in 80 games
In a team full of dangerous players, Fedorov always found a way to be a huge component. He was able to help the franchise win three Stanley Cups (1997, 1998, and 2002). His contributions specifically for this club led to him being inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2015 (from ‘Hockey Hall of Fame: Fedorov did everything well on ice,’ Detroit Free Press, Nov. 8, 2015), as well as getting listed as one of the NHL’s “100 Greatest Players.”
After stints with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and the Columbus Blue Jackets following his time in Detroit, Fedorov was moved to the Capitals near the 2008 Trade Deadline. He suited up in 18 games to finish off the 2007-08 regular season and would return for one more year in Washington after that.
Fedorov’s regular season total stats as a Cap are below:
- 2007-08: two goals and 11 assists for 13 points in 18 games
- 2008-09: 11 goals and 22 assists for 33 points in 52 games
In addition, Fedorov played in a total of 21 playoff games for Washington between their 2008 and 2009 runs. He posted the following stats:
- 2008: one goal and four assists for five points in seven games
- 2009: one goal and seven assists for eight points in 14 games
One of Fedorov’s best moments as a Cap happened during Game 7 of the 2009 playoff series against the New York Rangers. He scored the go-ahead goal in what ended up a 2-1 final to advance the Capitals and eliminate the Rangers. Even as an older talent toward the end of his NHL career, he still got it done and made a difference on the scoreboard when it mattered most.
Following the end of the 2008-09 NHL season, Fedorov headed over to the KHL to play with Metallurg Magnitogorsk until 2012. Fedorov retired from being a player after that, fishing his NHL career with 483 goals and 696 assists for 1,179 points in 1,248 games. He will always be remembered for being part of the Russian Five with the Red Wings and what he did for Detroit. Even though he was only a Cap for a short period of time, no doubt that he made an impact on many of his teammates; whether that be Ovechkin (from ‘How the Sergei Fedorov trade transformed Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals,’ New York Times, Feb. 18, 2023), Backstrom, or anyone else who was fortunate to learn from him.
Ilya Kovalchuk
Ilya Kovalchuk will be remembered as one of, if not, the best player in Atlanta Thrashers history. The defunct NHL club had many star players don their sweater such as Marian Hossa, Marc Savard, Dustin Byfuglien, and Keith Tkachuk. However, Kovalchuk was the guy who ran the offense for the longest time there. The team might not have had a lot of success, only making the postseason once back in 2007 before relocating to Winnipeg in 2011, but Kovalchuk had a lot of individual success in the league. The former first overall pick in the 2001 Draft had one of his most notable accomplishments during the 2003-04 season, winning the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy in a three-way tie with Blue Jackets winger Rick Nash and Calgary Flames captain Jarome Iginla (they each netted 41 goals). Kovalchuk is also a three-time NHL All Star, which he earned in 2004, 2008, and 2009.
The other NHL team Kovalchuk is mainly remembered playing for is the New Jersey Devils. The Thrashers made a blockbuster deal with the Devils during the 2009-10 season as Kovalchuk was dealt along with Anssi Salmela and a second-round selection in 2010 (turned into Jon Merrill). Atlanta received in return Niclas Bergfors, Patrice Cormier, Johnny Oduya, a 2010 first-round pick (eventually became Kevin Hayes) and a 2010 second-round pick (eventually became Justin Holl).
Kovalchuk and the Devils then made headlines throughout the hockey world for attempting to complete a 17-year contract extension done worth $102 million. The league responded to the potential contract though not too long later and rejected it on the grounds that part of the deal setup violated the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Instead, the Devils and Kovalchuk inked a 15-year, $100 million deal and that contract was approved. In a surprising turn, both sides barely took advantage of the term on that deal. Of the 15 seasons signed, he played on New Jersey for only three of them. During his time as a Devil, he posted the following stats:
- 2009-10: 10 goals and 17 assists for 27 points in 27 games
- 2010-11: 31 goals and 29 assists for 60 points in 81 games
- 2011-12: 37 goals and 46 assists for 83 points in 77 games
- 2012-13: 11 goals and 20 assists for 31 points in 37 games
After the 2012-13 season, Kovalchuk and the Devils parted ways as he retired from the NHL. He headed overseas to play in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) for a good chunk of time. Then, in 2018, Kovalchuk decided that he wanted to make an NHL return. He came back with the Los Angeles Kings for parts of his last two campaigns; His last season specifically was also split between the Canadiens and Capitals.
Kovalchuk was acquired by the Caps from Montreal, and he was reunited with fellow-Russian Ovechkin. In his only partial season with D.C., Kovalchuk played in seven games, scoring a goal and adding three helpers for four points. In the 2020 playoffs, he tallied one assist in eight games. He went back to the KHL for a couple more seasons before officially retiring from the game this year. It might not have lasted long, but it was cool to see Ovechkin and Kovalchuk playing on the same team.
Cristobal Huet
The only goalie on this list, Huet played in the league from 2002-03 until 2009-10. He started out with the Kings, after being drafted by the organization in the seventh round (214th overall) in 2001. He was only a part of two seasons for LA before he was involved in a three-team trade that included the Kings, the Canadiens, and the Ottawa Senators. Huet went to Montreal and eventually won the starting job for the team from fellow goalie Jose Theodore.
Huet played with the Canadiens from the 2005-06 season until 2007-08, when he was traded midseason to Washington due to the Canadiens’ hope that goalie prospect Carey Price would become the next Habs‘ star. Huet posted the following numbers as a a Hab:
- 2005-06: 18 wins, 11 losses, four OT losses in 36 games played
- 2006-07: 19 wins, 16 losses, three OT losses in 42 games played
- 2007-08: 21 wins, 12 losses, six OT losses in 39 games played
The trade was Huet to the Caps for a second-round pick in 2009. Huet joined a goalie room that also had Olaf Kolzig and Brent Johnson. Kolzig is a staple in Caps history for his longevity and his stats, but Huet battled and eventually grabbed the starting role from him during the rest of that 2007-08 season. That is a testament to how well Huet was playing at the time. He finished that regular season for Washington with an 11-2 record. He started all 13 games he played in.
The Caps made the 2008 playoffs, but they were immediately eliminated in the first round against the Philadelphia Flyers. Huet left the Caps as a free agent and inked a contract with the Chicago Blackhawks. He backed up Antti Niemi on a Blackhawks club that captured their first Stanley Cup since the 1960s during the 2010 postseason. Huet then went overseas later that year to play. He finished his NHL career having played in 272 games, and having a record of 129 wins, 90 losses, 11 ties, and 21 overtime losses. Huet came in and helped the Caps when they needed a goaltending push, and they got what they needed out of him in the short time he was there.
Roman Hamrlik
Like Kovalchuk, Hamrlik is another former first-overall pick (1992 by the Tampa Bay Lightning). He played for quite a few teams. It started with suiting up in parts of six seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning before being traded to the Edmonton Oilers. After being an Oiler, he spent time with the New York Islanders, Calgary Flames, Canadiens: he then arrived to D.C. prior to the 2011-12 campaign. He was toward the end of his career now, and wasn’t posting the offensive number he was back when he was with the Lightning or Islanders.
Hamrlik suited up for 68 games in 2011-12 for the Caps, netting two goals and 11 assists for 13 points. He was a nice veteran presence on the backend for a Caps roster that also included defensemen Dennis Wideman, John Carlson, Dmitry Orlov, and Karl Alzner. Mike Green also played for the Caps that season but was only able to play in 32 regular-season games. Hamrlik also returned to D.C. for part of the lockout-shortened 2012-13 campaign. He only donned the Caps sweater four times and got one assist in that span.
The Caps traded Hamrlik to the Rangers, where he played 12 games in the regular season and did not register a point. In the 2013 playoffs, he only played two games but did get an assist. Hamrlik retired in 2013.
A Role for Everyone
While the previous five names mentioned did not play in D.C. for a long time, they still made a difference in the time they were there. They had significant qualities that made themselves desirable to the Caps in the first place. Everyone on a team has their roles to play on the squad, and these players knew what they needed to do. Everyone will remember Ovechkin, Oshie, Carlson, Backstrom, and Holtby more than Chara, Fedorov, Kovalchuk, Huet, and Hamrlik, but all made contributions to help the Caps win hockey games.
