All Time Caps Roster

[Ridley Simon]

Stealing a thread idea from the main boards. I've never seen us list our "all time" best Caps team, so I thought I'd start one here.

My version is any player that's played in a Caps sweater. I don't care about how long, or how they did during their tenure....its just them as career players (or predicted career). I tried to get the 12 best skaters and then make lines that would work together. Same for the D pairings.

I'm sure many may snipe about the bottom 6 or last 3 D-men, so I'm curious what others think. Being a fan since 1979, I've been fortunate enough to see most of the players that the franchise has iced. So....on to it.

Ovechkin- Oates- Jagr
Bondra - Maruk - Ciccarelli
Federov - Backstrom - Gartner
Kuznetsov - Hunter - Ridley

Gustafsson/Pivonka/Christian/Walter/Semin/Tocchet/Allison/Miller/Tikannen/Carpenter

Murphy - Stevens
Langway - Hatcher
Green - Tinordi

Johansson/Gonchar/Carlson/Iafrate/S Côte/Rouse/Orpik/Housley/Alzner

Holtby
Kolzig
Ranford

I welcome other opinions...

Click to read more...

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

Stealing a thread idea from the main boards. I've never seen us list our "all time" best Caps team, so I thought I'd start one here.

My version is any player that's played in a Caps sweater. I don't care about how long, or how they did during their tenure....its just them as career players (or predicted career). I tried to get the 12 best skaters and then make lines that would work together. Same for the D pairings.

I'm sure many may snipe about the bottom 6 or last 3 D-men, so I'm curious what others think. Being a fan since 1979, I've been fortunate enough to see most of the players that the franchise has iced. So....on to it.

Ovechkin- Oates- Jagr
Bondra - Maruk - Ciccarelli
Federov - Backstrom - Gartner
Kuznetsov - Hunter - Ridley

Gustafsson/Pivonka/Christian/Walter/Semin/Tocchet/Allison/Miller/Tikannen/Carpenter

Murphy - Stevens
Langway - Hatcher
Green - Tinordi

Johansson/Gonchar/Carlson/Iafrate/S Côte/Rouse/Orpik/Housley/Alzner

Holtby
Kolzig
Ranford

I welcome other opinions...

I have nothing to say about the lineup, as I've only seen less than half the players listed there. One thing that amazes me though. At the age of 26, Braden Holtby is already the best goaltender in Capitals history. It says a lot about Holtby being the elite goaltender of our dreams, but it also shows how poor our goaltending has been outside of the Kolzig era.

 

[Corby78]

The only thing I would have on your roster is dropping Kuzy. I don't think his career has passed some of those other options yet. Having said that, here is my roster, and I've taken only their career in a Caps sweater.

Ovie/Backstrom/Gartner
Bondra/Pivonka/Oates
Ciccarelli/Gustafsson/Maruk
Christian/Hunter/Ridley

Johanson/Langway
Hatcher/Stevens
Murphy/Cote

Holtby
Kolzig

Scratches;Gonchar/Carlson/Miller/Konowalchuk/Carey

 

[Ridley Simon]

I have nothing to say about the lineup, as I've only seen less than half the players listed there. One thing that amazes me though. At the age of 26, Braden Holtby is already the best goaltender in Capitals history. It says a lot about Holtby being the elite goaltender of our dreams, but it also shows how poor our goaltending has been outside of the Kolzig era.

Caps have 3 Vezina winners (Carey, Kolzig, Holtby). Ranford is the only G to play for the Caps, that main stayed a Cup team (Oilers) -- I believe. So in his prime, he was as good as any.

I probably should have put Olaf over Brendan. Probably.

 

[Ridley Simon]

The only thing I would have on your roster is dropping Kuzy. I don't think his career has passed some of those other options yet. Having said that, here is my roster, and I've taken only their career in a Caps sweater.

Ovie/Backstrom/Gartner
Bondra/Pivonka/Oates
Ciccarelli/Gustafsson/Maruk
Christian/Hunter/Ridley

Johanson/Langway
Hatcher/Stevens
Murphy/Cote

Holtby
Kolzig

Scratches;Gonchar/Carlson/Miller/Konowalchuk/Carey

Côte over Green?

I thought long and hard about Pivonka. Loved him as a player. He just seemed to epitomize the Caps for me. Really good -- never great enough -- to win it all.

I needed to include Jagr.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

Caps have 3 Vezina winners (Carey, Kolzig, Holtby). Ranford is the only G to play for the Caps, that main stayed a Cup team (Oilers) -- I believe. So in his prime, he was as good as any.

I probably should have put Olaf over Brendan. Probably.

Antti Niemi won the Cup in 2010 with the Hawks, and he sucks. Winning a Stanley Cup doesn't make you automatically a great goaltender. This isn't a criticism against Ranford, I have no idea how good he was. Just disagreeing with the logic that Cup = solid goaltender.

Holtby is the best active playoff goalie and one of the best of all time statistically. I have no problem with listing him as our top goalie in franchise history, since I'm pretty sure he will retire as the clear #1 in Caps history.

 

[Ridley Simon]

Antti Niemi won the Cup in 2010 with the Hawks, and he sucks. Winning a Stanley Cup doesn't make you automatically a great goaltender. This isn't a criticism against Ranford, I have no idea how good he was. Just disagreeing with the logic that Cup = solid goaltender.

Holtby is the best active playoff goalie and one of the best of all time statistically. I have no problem with listing him as our top goalie in franchise history, since I'm pretty sure he will retire as the clear #1 in Caps history.

You drew a conclusion I wasn't making. But I can see why.

That said....Ranford was a terrific goalie.

 

[g00n]

What's the All Time Caps Fancy Stats Roster?

 

[txpd]

I have a different point of view on a couple spot. I am not entire sure what side some of the wings play. so if i make a mistake. sorry
fixed
Ov-Backstrom-Bondra
Courtnall-Pivonka-Gartner
Konowalchuk-Hunter-Dahlen
Kelly Miller-Ridley-Gould

Langway-Murphy
Stevens-Hatcher
Alzner-Carlson

Kolzig
Holtby

Kono-Halpern-Dahlen was the best line of its kind for its era. Kelly Miller and Mike Ridley were among the best duos at what they did as well. The only reason I didnt use Fedorov instead of Ridley was that the pairing with Miller was greater than the sum of its parts.

 

[g00n]

I assume everyone is just shuffling forwards since Bondra was RW

 

[Efactor]

Courtnall...that is all.

 

[twabby]

The first line has to be Ovechkin-Oates-Jagr. Best goal scorer of his generation (possibly one of the top few of all time when adjusting for era), one of the best playmaking centers in history, and a RW who is going to move up to #2 in all time points next season.

Fedorov has to be in the roster as well, probably as the #2C. Almost 1200 career points and very good defensively, he should be above players like Hunter, Backstrom, Pivonka, etc. I think Backstrom has a reasonable shot of being the #3C unless I'm missing someone else.

Also there is a criminal lack of Sergei Gonchar on some lists. I'm hard pressed to say Cote and maybe even Johansson have had better careers than Gonchar.

 

[Hivemind]

I think it depends on if you view it by their total careers or their career in a Capitals jersey. I'm tempted to view it the latter method. Fedorov may have been great, but he's nobody remembers him as an All-Time Capital because he only spent a couple years here in the twilight of his NHL career. The logic of using a player's total career over their time with a team would lead to Wayne Gretzky and Scott Stevens being on a St. Louis Blues All-Time roster. It would be Michael Jordan on the All-Time Wizards roster. It just doesn't make sense.

Also, if people are considering total career achievements for short-lived Capitals, Mike Knuble deserves a lot more consideration for these teams. Eight straight 20+ goal seasons during a lower scoring era, with four of those coming it at 29+ goals. He may not have the peak numbers of a Maruk or Christian, but when you consider the era he played in and his relatively consistency/longevity (especially for a "late bloomer") I don't think he's that far off. Not sure if I'd put Knuble on my team over guys like that, but he's certainly worthy of consideration if you're basing it on total careers.

 

[twabby]

I was using the OP's rules when I formed my opinions above: "I don't care about how long, or how they did during their tenure....its just them as career players (or predicted career)."

Under a different interpretation, my roster would be different.

 

[Ajax1995]

I think it depends on if you view it by their total careers or their career in a Capitals jersey. I'm tempted to view it the latter method. Fedorov may have been great, but he's nobody remembers him as an All-Time Capital because he only spent a couple years here in the twilight of his NHL career. The logic of using a player's total career over their time with a team would lead to Wayne Gretzky and Scott Stevens being on a St. Louis Blues All-Time roster. It would be Michael Jordan on the All-Time Wizards roster. It just doesn't make sense.

Agreed. A player needs to have played a decent amount of time in a Caps jersey IMO. I'm not exactly sure what that is but at least a couple full seasons.

 

[txpd]

Fedorov was a shell of his hall of fame self as a Cap. I mentioned him as consideration because of the clear major impact that he had on the team during his tenure.

That said, Jagr destroyed the team. He admitted that he quit on the team. His teammates other than Robert Lang hated his guts. Not a chance I ever forgive him that. Certainly not at the expense of Peter Bondra as the top RW. A guy that loved the team and still lives part of the year in Annapolis.

 

[Ridley Simon]

I think it depends on if you view it by their total careers or their career in a Capitals jersey. I'm tempted to view it the latter method. Fedorov may have been great, but he's nobody remembers him as an All-Time Capital because he only spent a couple years here in the twilight of his NHL career. The logic of using a player's total career over their time with a team would lead to Wayne Gretzky and Scott Stevens being on a St. Louis Blues All-Time roster. It would be Michael Jordan on the All-Time Wizards roster. It just doesn't make sense.

Also, if people are considering total career achievements for short-lived Capitals, Mike Knuble deserves a lot more consideration for these teams. Eight straight 20+ goal seasons during a lower scoring era, with four of those coming it at 29+ goals. He may not have the peak numbers of a Maruk or Christian, but when you consider the era he played in and his relatively consistency/longevity (especially for a "late bloomer") I don't think he's that far off. Not sure if I'd put Knuble on my team over guys like that, but he's certainly worthy of consideration if you're basing it on total careers.

So build your team. I did it how I wanted too. Your turn.

 

[Ridley Simon]

Fedorov was a shell of his hall of fame self as a Cap. I mentioned him as consideration because of the clear major impact that he had on the team during his tenure.

That said, Jagr destroyed the team. He admitted that he quit on the team. His teammates other than Robert Lang hated his guts. Not a chance I ever forgive him that. Certainly not at the expense of Peter Bondra as the top RW. A guy that loved the team and still lives part of the year in Annapolis.

I took the 12 best skaters (IMO), and then built lines for them. Jagr -- to me -- makes a better RW for Ovechkin than Bondra or Gartner. Both 11 and 12 liked to shoot a lot, and are similar players to Ovechkin in their need for the puck. I felt like having those 3 on separate lines made the team that much more dangerous.

Again, it's all fantasy, and it's all how you quantify your team. So that was my thinking...

 

[txpd]

I took the 12 best skaters (IMO), and then built lines for them. Jagr -- to me -- makes a better RW for Ovechkin than Bondra or Gartner. Both 11 and 12 liked to shoot a lot, and are similar players to Ovechkin in their need for the puck. I felt like having those 3 on separate lines made the team that much more dangerous.

Again, it's all fantasy, and it's all how you quantify your team. So that was my thinking...

My ultimate team of Capitals would have to have Ulf Dahlen, Steve Konowalchuk and Kelly Miller. They were elite at what they did. But as you say...who cares, really

 

[PB12]

Do personalities count? Because if so i wouldn't put Jagr on the same team with Oates. Those two hated each others guts when they were on the same team.