Fashion Faux Pas

Before Milt Schmidt became the first general manager of the Capitals, he played and coached with the Bruins.

The Boston uniform, of course, includes black pants. Schmidt remembered his goalies saying that those dark pants worn by Bruin defenders made it harder to see the black puck.

Milt put that tidbit to use in designing his new team's uniform. The Capitals skated into Madison Square Garden for their first-ever game sporting white pants.

That's Milt at left in this 1974 team photo-op, gesturing to his tailor for some last-minute alterations.

Unfortunately, white pants proved an off-color choice.

Why? Because (a) white shows stains, duh, and (b) they were laughably silly, hardly the competitive advantage they were designed for.

Oh, about that competition: The first-year Capitals won just one of 40 road games, and this January, 1975 cover of the NHL's "Goal" magazine reveals a clue as to why.

The players apparently skated hunched over during road contests, in a desperate attempt to hide the white shorts.

As goalie Ron Low told Even Weiner of nhl.com, "It was a joke. The pads get rubbed against the boards and it gets really filthy. After 10 games you couldn't tell if it was white or not anyway.”

So new blue duds were hastily ordered. The kicker: the team swiched pants color again in 1995, to... wait for it... Black!

We're guessing Milt was not consulted.

King of the Cowboys Practices Hockey Schitck

Capitals All-Star center Guy Charron gets together for a photo-op with movie cowboy Roy Rogers. See if you can guess the reason these two are sharing a laugh.

A. Roy's burger chain was a major advertiser with the Caps.

B. Roy has agreed to let players know they haven't made the team by singing "Happy Trails To You."

C. Guy has just told Roy that his restaurant's
Double-R-Bar Burger "Tastes like Trigger."

If you answered "A", you're correct. And if you answered "C", you should be ashamed of yourself.

Picard Tries To Make Extra Dough

Anyone who thinks pre-season games never matter should have been in Quebec City on Oct. 10, 1977. 1st round draft choice Robert Picard, after signing with the Caps over the summer, had signed a second, higher-paying contract with the WHA Nordiques. Adding kerosene to the controversy, Picard announced, "I'd rather deliver pizzas in Quebec than play for Washington."

Soon after the WHA nullified the Nordiques contract, Picard appeared at Le Colisee in Quebec as a member of the Capitals. Knowing how surly the crowd would be about being spurned, Caps teammates teased Picard by avoiding him on the team bus. Sure enough, during warmups, a fan greeted him by throwing a pizza on the ice.

P.S.: Quebec won the game 4-3 in overtime, before a crowd of more than 12,000. Picard finally wore a Nordiques sweater after they joined the NHL, playing there from 1985-90.

So That's Why The Sauna Smells Like Tomato Sauce

Too bad Caps goalie Mike Palmateer wasn't around that night in Quebec City. If someone had fired a slice in his direction, he'd probably have eaten it.

Defenseman Jim McTaggart gave the culinary details to the Post. "Mike told the training staff that he needed pepperoni pizza before each game.

"So they kept a stack of them in the equipment room and before the game would put one in the sauna and heat it for 30 minutes, then serve it to Mike."

What's In A Name

Say, if you're the kind of collector who's on the lookout for oddities - like if you get all tingly when you see the famous old stamp with the upside down biplane - then have we got a couple of authentic hockey sweaters for you!

Our first item was made for the
above-mentioned Robert Picard, Caps defenseman from 1977-80.

We can guarantee that his 1978 NHL All-Star Game sweater has no game-worn marks or tears. We confidently make this claim because Picard wasn't named as an All-Star in 1978. The Capitals' rep for the game in Buffalo that year was Bob Sirois.

This site that sold the sweater, classicauctions.net, offered this explanation: "The NHL at times, would do up jerseys for players who were on 'standby' because of injuries to players originally selected to play in the All-Star game."

For the record, Picard would later legitimately be a Capitals All-Star, named to the team for the 1980 game.

The same site also showcased the sweater to the left, worn (we hope briefly) by Ron Lalonde, a center with the Capitals from 1974-79.

Notice that we wrote "Lalonde", not "Lalonnde" with an extra "n", as spelled on the nameplate. As if the Caps of the '70's didn't suffer enough indignities.

Happily, Lalonde is a rare positive trivia answer from the Capitals inaugural season. In a March, 1975 game against the Red Wings, he scored the team's first-ever hat trick.

Foul Fowl

There really isn't anything I can add to embellish this photo of the Capitals first mascot - allegedly an eagle - named "Winger," who looked like the unfortunate cousin Big Bird wouldn't speak about.

We'll never know what Craig Berube was thinking as he's coming off the ice, under Winger's googly-eyed gaze. Maybe it's better that way.

After Winger was euthanized, the team's current mascot arrived.

Named Slapshot, he was "hatched" from inside an egg right on the rink during a 1995 game.

While an aesthetic improvement, it was a difficult birth.

"Inside the egg was pretty hot. And upon exiting it, the person inside the costume got dizzy and fell to the ice." St. Petersburg Times

This Duck Didn't Mind Being Shot At

The topic of strange birds must also include goalie Clint Malarchuk. Teammates named him "Mallard" because of in-game impressions of Donald Duck.

"He quacks between periods. Actually quacks," marveled defenseman Gary Galley to Sports Illustrated. Forward Greg Adams' take? "Clint Malarchuk is the mayor of Pluto."

The planets never fully aligned for Malarchuk in Washington. He did win 24 games, including four shutouts, in 1987-88, his only full season in D.C. But he faltered in the playoffs, and was dealt away the following season.

Caps, Capitals, and Capitols

Trivia doesn't get more trivial than this: 4 previous D.C. franchises have been Caps, Capitols, or Capitals.

The Washington Capitols disbanded in 1951 after 2 seasons in the fledgling NBA. That beat the one season (1969-70) for the ABA's Washington Caps. When the World Football League awarded a Washington franchise in 1974, its name was originally Capitals (later changed to Ambassadors). Either way, the team never played a game before moving to Florida.

Finally, there's Washington's National League baseball team - of the 19th century. Nicknames were sporadically used in those days, so some records retroactively named the team the Nationals. But Kerry Keane's book, 1951, has this reference to the playing career of legendary manager Connie Mack: Mack's first season "being as a catcher with the National League's Washington Capitals in 1888."

Oh, and as of 2008, the original Washington Capitals hockey logo is still in use... but you'll have to travel 2,944 miles to see it in action.
At right is the logo of the Cowichan Valley Capitals, a member of the British Columbia Hockey League in Duncan, B.C.

They Could Have Been "The Pandas"

Speaking of the nickname for the new NHL franchise... The Washington Pandas? The Pink Violins? The Slapsticks?

Those were among the 12,000 entries in a 1974 team-naming contest. According to a 20th Anniversary gameday program, "Comets" was the most popular nickname, with 250 entries, compared with 88 who wrote in "Caps" or "Capitals."

That's what owner Abe Pollin settled on, of course, but consider that he also could have chosen one of these: Domes, Cyclones, Streaks, Blades, Cheetahs, Turtles, Koo-Koos, Ice Skins, Snowflakes, Mosquitoes, Dum Dums, Chimney Sweeps, Watergate Bugs, Wing Pings, Cold Cuts, Catfish, Isms, Apes, Delegates, Whips, Lizards, Toppers, Troopers, Whippers or Colonials.

Back to the "Washington Pandas," just think of it. Instead of Winger, the mascots could have been Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing, the giant pandas gifted by China to the National Zoo in 1972.

After all, the pair met with about as much success as the Caps of the '70s. From animalplanet.com: "Hsing-Hsing, in his early years, attempted to mate with Ling-Ling's ear, wrist and foot."

Bargain Bin

Remember when these "Washington Capitals Ms. Piggy" pins were flying off the shelves faster than stores could stock them?

No? Me either. Maybe fans were too busy snapping up these Washington Capitals Toothbrushes.

On the topic of collectibles, marvel at the clairvoyance inside the lid of one soda bottle.

The photographic evidence is undeniable. Back in 1980, a Canadian Pepsi bottler was first to forshadow Montreal defenseman Rod Langway as... a Cap.

(Do you suppose two summers later, after being named Capitals G.M., David Poile popped open this refreshing beverage, and got the inspiration to make the monumental trade that brought Langway to D.C.? No, I didn't think so.)

Penalty for Boarding (the Bus)

The Capitals suffered a glass-shattering hit during the 1976 season... and they weren't even playing hockey at the time.

As the team was returning from a road trip, a large-antlered deer started running alongside their bus. The deer then rammed the bus, shattering windows and ripping the fabric of a empty seat.

(No word on if it was a Milwaukee Buck looking for a ride into town to play the Bullets.)

The early Capitals often found getting to and from the rink as baffling as a Canadiens power play.

Like the time in 1975, when immigration almost denied coach Red Sullivan re-entry to the U.S., because he couldn't produce a green card.

"'I see they let you go,' a Washington Post reporter commented as Sullivan, coatless and snow covered, returned to the bus. 'Yes, darn it,' Sullivan replied." No wonder ulcers forced Red to resign after just 18 games behind the bench.

Ron Lalonde told McClatchy News, "You didn't know what to expect next. There was supposed to be a bus waiting for you at the hotel in Buffalo or somewhere, and there wouldn't be one. It was like a traveling circus."

And that was even before a deer joined the act.

Red Alert

This is worse than two women showing up at a party wearing the same dress - the Caps' Don Beaupre and Hawks' Chris Chelios both in their road red sweaters.

Beaupre's "NHL 75" patch dates the photo to
1991-92. The event is an exhibition; both players are wearing non-standard pants (with more red!). Chelios and Beaupre were All-Stars in '92, but wouldn't one conference be wearing white? It's a mystery to me.

When facts falter, one-liners ride to the rescue:
"I've heard of Rocking the Red, but this is ridiculous"
"Staring at this photo may cause retina damage"
"Not even Visene could get this much red out"

Thank you. You've been a wonderful audience. What's that? It wasn't funny? Oh. Well, what'd you pay to get in?

Bad Breaks

Seven years before the birth of the Capitals, Albert King recorded "Born Under a Bad Sign."

The blues standard could have served as the theme song for several of the expansion Caps, especially the signature line: "If it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have no luck at all."

In Gordie Brooks' case, the bad luck came when he least expected it. From the Orlando Sentinel: "During warmups, Brooks skated in on Ron Low, and unleashed a routine shot.

"The puck caromed off Low's skate and into Brooks' face, and Brooks would eventually require reconstructive surgery."

Gord played another decade in the minors, but never again in the NHL.

In the 1976-77 season, Bob Sirois could have used his own medical clinic. And talk about a Bad Sign. "On the first day of training camp," reported the AP, "he leaned back while watching teammates run - and cut his hand on a piece of glass."

Bob never did stop singing the blues. In September, Sirois strained knee ligaments. In December, he broke his left thumb. In February, a violent check into the boards put his right arm in a sling.

Oh, and did we mention his bout with food poisoning?

Olie Shows Off His Buns

Longtime goalie Olaf Kolzig began his NHL career in 1989 in the old red, white and blue. In fact, he played his first game for the Capitals when he was just 19.

In those early days, Olie apparently ate his postgame meal on the ice while still in uniform.

Other disturbing issues raised by this photo:

Kolzig's tribute-to-Elvis hairdo...

The creepy fish-eye lens...

And why is his name, "Olaf", spelled out in mustard?

Lucky Number 7

At left is a hockey card of Yvon Labre, the Capitals rugged defenseman. Labre played for the first seven seasons of the franchise, and served another two decades in the team's front office.

Notice his No. 7 sweater, a number the team later retired in Labre's honor.

This is not our man Yvon in the card at right. Apparently, card fact-checking is less than rigorous. Someone saw "7" on the sweater - actually, it was "17" - and plastered Labre's name on the card.

This Card Is Not A Jack

Hey, that Labre thing was an honest mistake, and probably a one-time error. So why don't we cut them some slack, you know, live and let...

Uh oh.

Jack Lynch was Labre's defensive partner for parts of five seasons - and it seems he was cursed by the same card troubles.

Lynch wore #2. At right is Billy Collins, who wore #26. Oops.
(Jack makes a cameo in the next set of cards.)

Getting A Head

Left: Someone must've heard that Steve Konowalchuk had a good head on his shoulders. So they removed his neck.

Right: The juiciest bits of sports cards are often along the edges. Like Ace Bailey's teammate, wearing, yes, a lacrosse helmet.

That's courageous Jack Lynch, donning the mask for protection to continue playing after he was struck in the face by a puck.

And the other player, admiring the aerodynamic look, is wondering if the helmet can acommodate his current hairdo.


The lacrosse mask also contributed to a case of mistaken identity between Bailey and Lynch.

The official Capitals website included this photo in a Bailey slideshow. Like the mistake made with the Billy Collins card, blame an obscured number.

The player appears to be wearing number 9 (Bailey), when it's actually 19, the number Lynch used before switching to #2. The mask hiding his face doesn't help in making the ID.

On the other hand, Lynch's name is clearly visible on his stick. So it seems even the team has trouble making out the difference between an Ace and a Jack.

Paint By Numbers

At left, it's plain to see both uniform numbers of Denis Dupere, not to mention he played four seasons in high-profile Toronto.

Yet the card claims he's Stan Gilbertson, who wore #15 for the Caps after Dupere departed.

To be fair, their resemblance - besides Stan's clean-shaven face and curly blonde hair - is uncanny.

On the right, this is indeed Bill Clement. The person assigned to paint over his uniform apparently failed watercolor class. Either that, or he was a 3rd-grader, or someone who had never actually seen the Capitals uniform.

A Wolfe In Barons Clothing

Paging Dr. Frankenstein! The mad scientist was alive and well in 1976, performing gruesome experiments in the trading card industry. Compared to this, the Labre snafu was child's play.

Our evidence is Capitals netminder Bernie Wolfe, but in a Cleveland Barons sweater. And Barons winger Al MacAdam, in a Capitals sweater.

Nah, it couldn't be. It is! They've put Wolfe's head on MacAdam's body, and vice versa. It's the strangest trade in NHL history.

Of all the Capitals photos I've run across, this group seems most in screaming need of explanation.

At left, Boston's Terry O'Reilly is astride Yvon Labre like a hobby horse.

Yvon, who learned to put up with a lot during the first seven Capitals seasons, seems patient in wating for Terry to finish his ride. He also appears ready to use the stick he's holding to perform an emergency appendectomy, should O'Reilly linger too long.

At right, Mark Lofthouse, unquestionably the most patriotic Capital. Before a faceoff, he often recited the Pledge of Allegiance. All the more impressive, because Mark is Canadian.

At far left is goalie Ron Low, although it looks like he'd be just as comfortable alongside Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday at the O.K. Corral.

The near left photo is of a kneeling Rick Green. At first, I thought he might be proposing to a bewildered Paul Mulvey. But that would be silly.

On second thought, it appears that he's borrowing a page from the NFL playbook: taking a knee and trying to run out the clock.


At left: That's why they call it the hot corner!

Capitals third baseman Kevin Hatcher makes this amazing catch of a sizzling line drive during the fifth inning of a game at Capital Centre.

At right: It might appear that Caps goalie Rick Tabaracci is athletically leaping out of the way of a sliding teammate.

Actually, the photo was taken during the team's "Celebration of Marionettes" night. Rick agreed to be suspended from the rafters by wires, which were manipulated by a couple of lucky fans.

In Tabaracci's long goaltending career - he played for seven NHL teams, including two different stints in Washington - he was occasionally pulled from the net; just never like this.

Tonya Harding should have been a hockey player, where whacking an opponent in the kneecap is at worst a two minute penalty.

Later in the 1994 Olympics came the memorable scene at left, where Harding is showing officials the broken lace that caused her to mess up her skating routine. Harding was allowed another chance to perform the same routine.

Less well know is that two years earlier, Capitals goalie Jim Hrivnak had the same problem. As you see, Hrivnak is showing officials how he allowed a goal because his boot was untied. Unfortunately for Jim, NHL rules don't permit "do-overs."

(Jim might deny this, perhaps because it's not true.)

One Man's Trash Is Another Man's Stanley Cup

So where's the anecdote about the trash can the Capitals once paraded around like the Stanley Cup?

You know, during the 1974-75 season, when the team lost its first 37 road games? Then they won a game in Oakland, and celebrated in style? The story is True. And it's certainly Strange. So where are the details? Huh?

First of all, settle down. There's more to the tale than most people know. To read all about it, go to the
Capitals Memories page when you're done here. The Tale of the Pail is included in the entry on Capitals foward Tommy Williams.

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