caps thread

[chillerdab]

My family and I went to Caps games at the old Cap Center in Landover soon after they were formed, because the tix were cheap and plentiful. I’ve been to more Caps games than O’s games, and probably ten times as many Caps and O’s games as Redskins games.

The Caps used to give away full hockey sticks, and I used to play street hockey then one ill-advised season of ice hockey with my clint malarchuk, rod langway, scott stevens “signed”
hockey stick until the blade cracked.

Pete Peters, Bengt Gustafsson, Dino Ciccarelli, Dale Hunter, Craig Laughlin, Bondra, Mike Gartner, Olaf Kolzig.

Good times.

 

[Stymietee]

My family and I went to Caps games at the old Cap Center in Landover soon after they were formed, because the tix were cheap and plentiful. I’ve been to more Caps games than O’s games, and probably ten times as many Caps and O’s games as Redskins games.

The Caps used to give away full hockey sticks, and I used to play street hockey then one ill-advised season of ice hockey with my clint malarchuk, rod langway, scott stevens “signed”
hockey stick until the blade cracked.

Pete Peters, Bengt Gustafsson, Dino Ciccarelli, Dale Hunter, Craig Laughlin, Bondra, Mike Gartner, Olaf Kolzig.

Good times.

Hey Chill,

Would it be too dishonest to sell the "signed" now cracked stick, as an actual game one? (broken during the game kind of thing)

 

[chillerdab]

Hey Chill,

Would it be too dishonest to sell the "signed" now cracked stick, as an actual game one? (broken during the game kind of thing)

Haha! I’d have to see if I could find it in the dark recesses of my parents attic - if its still there at all.

My brother and I had quite a collection of those sticks - enough for a full side, I remember.

The Caps stopped giving away full siE wooden hockey sticks when a huge brawl happened in the standa of the cap center I believe against the Flyers. I remember adults straight up swinging those sticks around like baseball bats. It was wild.

 

[Caliskinsfan]

What a story! You expect smack down brawls at hockey games...but not in the stands...with hockey sticks...lmao! Those were the days!

 

[Sportster 72]

My family and I went to Caps games at the old Cap Center in Landover soon after they were formed, because the tix were cheap and plentiful. I’ve been to more Caps games than O’s games, and probably ten times as many Caps and O’s games as Redskins games.

The Caps used to give away full hockey sticks, and I used to play street hockey then one ill-advised season of ice hockey with my clint malarchuk, rod langway, scott stevens “signed”
hockey stick until the blade cracked.

Pete Peters, Bengt Gustafsson, Dino Ciccarelli, Dale Hunter, Craig Laughlin, Bondra, Mike Gartner, Olaf Kolzig.

Good times.

I just lived a couple of miles from Cap Centre. The first couple of years I was there every night. Anyone remember the names Greg Joly and Mike Marson ... the Caps first two picks in their inaugural season. Tommie Williams, Denis Deeds, Pete Laframboise,, Ron Low and Yvon Labre. Man those teams were bad. I took two close friends to a game against Montreal that first year. Caps lost 11-1. I was apologizing to them etc. They became life long fans. The Caps used to hand at bar off of 214 and I went there. Post Navy I became friends with Paul Mulvey. What a big guy, but a nice guy. I hated Rick Green. He and I almost got into it one night,, Mulvey had to get between us. Al Koken was the biggest hanger on. I saw Glenn Brenner drunk off his ass in there a couple of times. One time he was so F'ed up he leaned against Alan Hangslaben's custom painted trucks ... Hank got out and told Brenner he was about to get his ass whipped if he didn't get off the truck. One night Maruk invited a bunch of us in the backroom to his townhouse. He really didn't want us guys (I had two close buddies with me) but we followed and went in and popped a beer ... Maruk came up and said you guys know we didn't mean you and smiled. He was nice about it. He gave us two six packs and said run along boys. LOL My friend Terry was downstairs checking out Maruk's golf clubs. Hockey memories and after the game memories. Too funny. Many, many fond memories and fun times.

 

[Sportster 72]

What a story! You expect smack down brawls at hockey games...but not in the stands...with hockey sticks...lmao! Those were the days!

OMG Cali, until Ovechkin the Caps were lucky to get 10,000 fans. Especially in the early days. Flyers were always sold out so they came down by the bus loads. Every Flyer-Caps game had at least one fight and some nights several. Being from Philadelphia I always LMAO!!

 

[Caliskinsfan]

OMG Cali, until Ovechkin the Caps were lucky to get 10,000 fans. Especially in the early days. Flyers were always sold out so they came down by the bus loads. Every Flyer-Caps game had at least one fight and some nights several. Being from Philadelphia I always LMAO!!

I’ve only been to 2 hockey games...one was in Philly. It was insane. Right up against that plexiglass. Pucks kept smacking and there were multiple player fights right in front of me. I couldn’t believe how violent it was.

 

[Sportster 72]

I’ve only been to 2 hockey games...one was in Philly. It was insane. Right up against that plexiglass. Pucks kept smacking and there were multiple player fights right in front of me. I couldn’t believe how violent it was.

Philadelphia is always a fun place to see a game. Don't know when you went but in the 70s when Fred Shero was coaching the Flyers and they had like Dave Schultz there were multiple fights most games. Before the Caps Bobby Clarke of the Flyers was my favorite player.

 

[Caliskinsfan]

Philadelphia is always a fun place to see a game. Don't know when you went but in the 70s when Fred Shero was coaching the Flyers and they had like Dave Schultz there were multiple fights most games. Before the Caps Bobby Clarke of the Flyers was my favorite player.

Couldn’t tell you any players but it would’ve been ‘86 or ‘87

Guy I was dating had been a Buckeye goalie and was a mad Flyers fan for self-evident reasons.

 

[chillerdab]

My favorite player from that time, besides helmetless Rod Langway of course, was Bengt Gustafsson, because his name was Bengt Gustafsson.

It morphed into Scott Stevens for a time, until he went to the Devils, then was Dale Hunter for a long while.

I used to think the fans were booing when they called Maruuuuuuuuuuuuuuk!

What great stories you have, Sportser!

I've only seen pro hockey games live in DC and NYC. Never been to Philly for a hockey game, or Pittsburgh.

Sportster is right when he says that the rise in popularity came with the drafting of ovechkin. Sure there were some great players there before - Bondra was a perennial all star as was Olaf Kolzig, Mike Gartner, Dino Ciccarelli, Dale Hunter, etc., but it was nothing like the "rock the red" national acclaim that Ovechkin and the caps get nowadays.

 

[kbso83432]

Dino and Pivonka were my guys.

 

[Sportster 72]

Gartner was my favorite, gawd was he fast. We went to the same church for awhile. He was very nice and so unassuming. Also Scott Stevens. Scott was also quite and unassuming. You knew he was cock strong though. Later I was a big Olie the Goalie fan.

 

[skinsdad62]

I saw the caps play Gretzky when he was with the oilers . He had a big game that night

 

[chillerdab]

Ovi scored again.

 

[Sportster 72]

I saw the caps play Gretzky when he was with the oilers . He had a big game that night

I think that was the 7 assist game right dad. I was there, I looked at my friends and said who the f**k is Gretzky. LMAO!!!

 

[kbso83432]

Gartner was my favorite, gawd was he fast. We went to the same church for awhile. He was very nice and so unassuming. Also Scott Stevens. Scott was also quite and unassuming. You knew he was cock strong though. Later I was a big Olie the Goalie fan.

Stevens and Hatcher was my back line.

 

[kbso83432]

I saw a couple of playoff games. Cap Centre had to have the worst lighting in the league.

 

[Sportster 72]

Stevens and Hatcher was my back line.

Two of the best ever to wear a Caps sweater.

 

[Sportster 72]

Caps need a goalie. Not a fan of VV. He kicked out a rebound for the tying goal and was way off his angle on the OT goal.

 

[chillerdab]

Well it was supposed to be Samsonov, but he looks worse than VV!

It could have been Grubauer, or Varmalov, who I believe are both starting goalies in the NHL.