1992-93 Washington Capitals Top 4 Defensemen (Historical Significance/Thoughts)

[Jim MacDonald]

Hey Everyone!

I'm kinda "shooting from the hip" here without doing the research (I enjoy learning/hearing the answers/thoughts from you guys anyhow!) But in 1992-1993 I was just starting to "follow" hockey in a sense before full-blown love developed. It seems like I'm remembering the Washington Capitals had four really good "offensive" defensemen as their top four (in no particular order: Al Iafrate, Calle Johansson, Sylvain Cote and one more that is killing me that I can't recall! Help!) I want to say that maybe:

1) The Caps top four D individually had 20+ goal seasons. Is there anything historic/significant about this up to that point in time? (no other team fielding 4 D that put up 20+ goals each?)

2) Also possibly historic-I wonder if the 92-93 Caps set a historic mark for largest percentage of goals scored coming from the back end?

Let me know of course if I'm over-romanticizing this (if it wasn't as significant as I'm making it out to be). Maybe it's just those top 4 were "well-known" names moreso than putting up mind-blowing numbers etc.

*head swabs*-Jim

P.S. I'm gonna kick myself when one of you tells me who that fourth guy is!

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[GarbageGoal]

Hey Everyone!

I'm kinda "shooting from the hip" here without doing the research (I enjoy learning/hearing the answers/thoughts from you guys anyhow!) But in 1992-1993 I was just starting to "follow" hockey in a sense before full-blown love developed. It seems like I'm remembering the Washington Capitals had four really good "offensive" defensemen as their top four (in no particular order: Al Iafrate, Calle Johansson, Sylvain Cote and one more that is killing me that I can't recall! Help!) I want to say that maybe:

1) The Caps top four D individually had 20+ goal seasons. Is there anything historic/significant about this up to that point in time? (no other team fielding 4 D that put up 20+ goals each?)

2) Also possibly historic-I wonder if the 92-93 Caps set a historic mark for largest percentage of goals scored coming from the back end?

Let me know of course if I'm over-romanticizing this (if it wasn't as significant as I'm making it out to be). Maybe it's just those top 4 were "well-known" names moreso than putting up mind-blowing numbers etc.

*head swabs*-Jim

P.S. I'm gonna kick myself when one of you tells me who that fourth guy is!

Kevin Hatcher

 

[Jim MacDonald]

Kevin Hatcher

YESSS!!!! ugh!

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

I want to say that maybe:

1) The Caps top four D individually had 20+ goal seasons. Is there anything historic/significant about this up to that point in time? (no other team fielding 4 D that put up 20+ goals each?)

2) Also possibly historic-I wonder if the 92-93 Caps set a historic mark for largest percentage of goals scored coming from the back end?

it is extremely easy to fact check stats

 

[Jim MacDonald]

it is extremely easy to fact check stats

Sure it is. I didn't want this post to be on the "lazy" side by any means, "from the hip" like I said

 

[mrhockey193195]

My gosh. I had no clue Sylvain Cote scored 20 in a season. I consider myself well-versed enough on traditional stats that few things (especially in the post expansion era) catch me by surprise, but wow - I had no idea.

 

[FerrisRox]

1) The Caps top four D individually had 20+ goal seasons. Is there anything historic/significant about this up to that point in time? (no other team fielding 4 D that put up 20+ goals each?)

Unless I'm misunderstanding your premise here, no, their top four did not individually put up 20+ goal seasons. Calle Johansson didn't even have a ten goal season that year.

 

[Johnny Engine]

I believe the significance is that no other team had three 20-goal scorers on defense before or after Hatcher, Iafrate and Cote did. Johansson didn't, but he was also on the team.

 

[blood gin]

Just one of those crazy things that happened during the while and crazy goalfest 1992-1993 season.

Cote had a nice little run of goal scoring with Washington 1991-1994. Then sort of settled back to what he was.

Caps had 9 guys on that team with 20 goals or more. Out in the first round they went.

Didn't they start Tabaracci in the playoffs weirdly? Kolzig also got a cup of coffee with them. It took Kolzig forever to establish himself.

 

[Jim MacDonald]

Unless I'm misunderstanding your premise here, no, their top four did not individually put up 20+ goal seasons. Calle Johansson didn't even have a ten goal season that year.

See this is bad investigation/assumptions by me. Thanks for correction(s)!

 

[Jim MacDonald]

I believe the significance is that no other team had three 20-goal scorers on defense before or after Hatcher, Iafrate and Cote did. Johansson didn't, but he was also on the team.

Thank you for the guidance/correction Johnny. This was honestly where I was trying to go (albeit with limited information). I'll eat crow in that I should've done a bit more research/been more knowledgeable. A bit of a "lazy/fishing expedition" type post from me. Apologies.

 

[mitchdisaster]

Just one of those crazy things that happened during the while and crazy goalfest 1992-1993 season.

Cote had a nice little run of goal scoring with Washington 1991-1994. Then sort of settled back to what he was.

Caps had 9 guys on that team with 20 goals or more. Out in the first round they went.

Didn't they start Tabaracci in the playoffs weirdly? Kolzig also got a cup of coffee with them. It took Kolzig forever to establish himself.

Kolzig didn't get full time status until 97 AFTER Jim Carey. 92-93 they were running Beaupre & Hrivnak mostly. As a kid then I had high hopes for Hrivnak.

 

[tony d]

I remember that with that Caps team back then. Some of those Caps teams in the early 90's were quite good and were among the many teams during that time that deserved a Cup.

 

[FerrisRox]

Didn't they start Tabaracci in the playoffs weirdly?

They did. Tabby started game one and recorded a victory. In game two, he allowed five goals, but made 56 saves in a double over time game. Game 3 was another overtime loss and Game 4, again, saw the Caps go down, again in double OT.

For Game 5, they went back to Beaupre and Washington responded with a win, but the goaltending was mediocre with Beaupre stopping 28 of 32 shots. The following game he was equally mediocre stopping 28 of 33 shots for the loss.

 

[blood gin]

Kolzig didn't get full time status until 97 AFTER Jim Carey. 92-93 they were running Beaupre & Hrivnak mostly. As a kid then I had high hopes for Hrivnak.

He did look like a pretty good backup at times. He was not all that big. Actually kind of gangly but did a good job making himself look bigger than he was in net. Career totally nosedived once he got sent to Winnipeg and then St. Louis

 

[blood gin]

They did. Tabby started game one and recorded a victory. In game two, he allowed five goals, but made 56 saves in a double over time game. Game 3 was another overtime loss and Game 4, again, saw the Caps go down, again in double OT.

For Game 5, they went back to Beaupre and Washington responded with a win, but the goaltending was mediocre with Beaupre stopping 28 of 32 shots. The following game he was equally mediocre stopping 28 of 33 shots for the loss.

Lots of OT bad luck for the Caps as usual. But the goaltending didn't help. The Isles were absolutely unbeatable in playoff overtime from even before their dynasty through 1993

 

[Jim MacDonald]

I'm still a bit floored with the balanced attack in a sense, 9 guys getting 20+ goals! You think that would be a big advantage come playoff time.

 

[streitz]

I'm still a bit floored with the balanced attack in a sense, 9 guys getting 20+ goals! You think that would be a big advantage come playoff time.

1. They had alot of depth but no superstar
2. bad goaltending
3.

 

[Jim MacDonald]

1. They had alot of depth but no superstar
2. bad goaltending
3.

Oh yeah...there is that one little tidbit of ..well..ya know....one of the games greatest coaches...EVER! ha ha!

 

[Big Phil]

My goodness, did the 1993 Capitals have 9 guys with at least 20 goals? I'd have lost that bet for sure. That's pretty close to Cherry's 1978 Bruins with 11, which is still a record.

Yes I remember the Caps of those years. I remember them in the 1980s too. They had the same issue then as well. Loaded on defense (Murphy, Langway, Stevens) but without that game breaker up front. The 1980s Caps are a lot like the modern day Nashville Predators.

The 1993 Caps are just one of those weird statistical teams. No one had over 85 points (Bondra) in a season where 21 had 100. Just no game breakers to change the course of an important game.

And until Mike Green did it, another Caps defenseman ironically in 2009 with 31 goals, it was Kevin Hatcher of all people who was the last 30 goal scorer as a defenseman with 34 this year. He strangely enough led the NHL in goals-on ice for with 162 this year. Yet finished 4th in Norris voting. To be fair, he killed penalties.

 

[nhlman]

The 1992-93 Capitals defencemen scored more goals combined (94) than any other team's defence in NHL history. A fact I learned from a Score hockey card a year later. I don't think any team has broken the record.

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

The Capitals of that era were an okay team, but it's a stretch to say they 'deserved' a Cup. They didn't really ever have the talent at forward that you needed for a legit Cup run in the pre-cap NHL. Top notch goaltending got them to the Finals in 98 and that was probably even a bit further than they deserved to go based on their talent level.

 

[streitz]

The Capitals of that era were an okay team, but it's a stretch to say they 'deserved' a Cup. They didn't really ever have the talent at forward that you needed for a legit Cup run in the pre-cap NHL. Top notch goaltending got them to the Finals in 98 and that was probably even a bit further than they deserved to go based on their talent level.

 

[MarkusNaslund19]

A. Oates didn't join them until 4 years later.
B. Oates wasn't a top 20 forward in the league while playing with the Caps.

 

[streitz]

A. Oates didn't join them until 4 years later.
B. Oates wasn't a top 20 forward in the league while playing with the Caps.

A. He mentioned the 98 run and their lack of talent.
B. I didn't realize players outside the top 20 routinely finished in the top 15 in scoring. top 10 in 2001-02.