Washington Capitals Alumni v. Pittsburgh Penguins Alumni
9:30 AM EST – Heinz Field – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Media: Streamed from 9:15-11AM on NHL.com
The Capitals and Penguins’ greats will face off one day before the current teams do the same at Heinz Field. The rosters for both teams have been officially set, so to get everyone caught up on which Capital is which, we wanted to provide a “Who’s Who” of the former Capitals that will represent the franchise.
Peter Bondra (1990-2004) – Who doesn’t love Bonzai? Bondra is the Caps’ all-time leading scorer; he tops the franchise’s scoring list in goals (472), points (825), power play goals (137), game-winning goals (73), shorthanded goals (32) and hat tricks (19). Bondra is also a five-time All Star and is definitely one of the top faces of the Washington Capitals franchise.
Dino Ciccarelli (1989-1992) – Ciccarelli is best known for his days with the Minnesota North Stars, but scored 112 goals for the Caps. Ciccarelli amassed 1,200 points during his illustrious career, including 651 with the North Stars, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2010.
Michal Pivonka (1986-1999) – Pivonka spent his entire career with the Caps and is still the all-time leader in assists with 418. He also led the Capitals in scoring twice (1991-1992, 1995-1996).
Sylvain Cote (1991-1998, 2000-2003) – The big defenseman played most of his career with the Capitals and was a part of two Stanley Cup finalists: the 1997-1998 Caps and 1999-2000 Dallas Stars. Cote scored double-digit goals three times for Washington.
Don Beaupre (1989-1994) – Washington acquired the goaltender in a trade with the Minnesota North Stars in 1989. Beaupre led the NHL with five shutouts in 1990-1991, but was traded to the Ottawa Senators to make way for the development of Olaf Kolzig. Beaupre recorded the first shutout in Senators history and now owns an aerial lift equipment company in Minneapolis.
Pat Ribble (1980-1982) – Ribble spent time with the Capitals during their first decade of existence and had his best season in 1980-1981 when he earned 18 points in 67 games.
Ken Sabourin (1990-1992) – Sabourin played in only 47 games with the Caps, but can still be heard during every game as a color commentator for Capitals radio broadcasts along with Steve Kolbe.
Yvon Labre (1974-1981) – The Caps selected Labre with their fourth pick in the 1974 NHL Expansion Draft, making him one of the original Capitals. Labre served as team captain for two years and his dedication to the team led to them retiring his #7 in 1981, making him the first Cap to have his number retired. Labre is the only player in team history to wear #7.
Mark Lofthouse (1977-1981) – Lofthouse scored 31 goals during his tenure with the Capitals.
Nick Kypreos (1989-1992) – The Greek-born left winger played for the Caps for three seasons and scored 18 goals. Kypreos actually won a Calder Cup with the Hershey Bears, then and now the AHL affliate of the Caps. He is currently an analyst for Rogers Sportsnet in Canada.
Alan Hanglesben (1980-1982) – Hanglesben came to the Caps from the Hartford Whalers in the middle of the 1979-1980 season.
Dean Evason (1983-1985) – Evason, now an assistant coach for the Capitals, was drafted by the team in 1982. Evason didn’t spend much time with Washington, playing in just 17 games with the team before moving on to the Hartford Whalers.
Errol Rausse (1979-1982) – Rausse spent most of his time with the Hershey Bears, but played in 31 games with the parent club.
Alan May (1989-1994) – Before bringing his telestration talents to Comcast Sportsnet, May was quite the pugilist. The hard-nosed winger earned 1,189 penalty minutes for the Capitals during his tenure in Washington, making him a fan favorite. May has also become a fan favorite on Twitter.
Craig Laughlin (1982-1988) – Locker is also a veteran telestrator as CSN’s color commentator, but before he cracked jokes with Joe B., Locker played five full seasons for the Caps. Locker came to the Caps from the Montreal Canadiens in the same trade that brought Rod Langway, Brian Engblom and Doug Jarvis to D.C.. Laughlin’s 110 goals during his time with Washington helped the Capitals reach their first-ever playoff appearance in 1983.
John Druce (1988-1992) – Druce was drafted by the Capitals with the 40th selection in the 1985 NHL Draft. Druce had his best season in 1990-1991, when he scored 22 goals and assisted on 36 goals.
Dennis Maruk (1979-1983) – Maruk was yet another player acquired from the Minnesota North Stars and was one the Caps’ first prolific scorers. Maruk scored 182 goals for the Capitals and still holds the franchise record for points in a season with 136 in 1981-1982. Maruk scored 50 goals and 60 goals in back-to-back seasons.
Greg Adams (1983-1988) – It took Adams some time to break out with the Capitals (eight goals in his first 108 games), but once he did, he made his presence felt with his stick (47 goals in his last three seasons) and his fists (489 PIM his last three seasons).
Blair Stewart (1975-1979) – Stewart played seven seasons in the NHL, but none better than his 1975-1976 season with the Caps, when he scored double-digit goals for the only time in his career.
Gord Lane (1975-1980) – Lane led the Caps in penalties during three of his five seasons with the team. Lane later became a member of the New York Islanders and won four consecutive Stanley Cups.
Robert Picard (1977-1980) – The Capitals selected Picard with the third overall pick in the 1977 draft with the expectation that he would single-handedly turn around the franchise. Picard was a high-scoring defenseman, scoring 156 points in three seasons.
Paul Mulvey (1978-1981) – Mulvey played his first three seasons with the Capitals before becoming a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Mulvey scored 29 goals for the Caps and now owns Skate Quest of Reston, Virginia. He bought a tennis facility and turned into a hockey rink, which helped expand the reach of hockey in the D.C. Metro Area.
J.R. Reich – Reich actually never played for the Capitals, but he is a local goalie that has played on the alumni team before.
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