So Close: Ch. 9 – Final Third of the Season

After completing the Olympic Break, the Washington Capitals encountered the final third of the 1997-98 season.

February/March

As the Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan began to wind down, the Washington Capitals started getting some of their players back. Goaltender Olaf Kolzig, who played for Germany, and forwards Peter Bondra and Richard Zednik, who played for Slovakia, returned for practice on February 20th, 1998 when  NHL teams returned from the break to prepare for the final third of the season. The Capitals were still missing defensemen Calle Johansson (Sweden); Sergei Gonchar, who was about to play in the gold medal game for Russia, and head coach Ron Wilson (United States).

Assistant coach Tim Army ran the practice as the Capitals went through an hour of drills on the ice before doing some off-ice conditioning. “Practice has been going very well,” Army said. “We have been working on trying to get our timing and our rhythm back.”

Two days later, the Capitals had 22 players on the ice for a 90-minute session, which was the longest and most intense since they returned from the break. “I think we’re back to where we were before the break,” said defenseman Joe Reekie. “But, I think we’re a little better. We have had rest. Conditioning-wise, we have worked hard all this week with our assistant coaches. . . . The guys are itching to get back to playing the games.”

 “The guys had good legs today and they were moving the puck well,” Army said. ” We have been working the last five days for better puck support.”

On February 24th, the Capitals became a complete unit once again as defenseman and silver medalist, Sergei Gonchar returned to the team as they prepared for their first game back on February 25th against Tampa Bay Lightning. “Everybody is back now,” said forward Dale Hunter. “We had a good practice today… I think everybody is anxious to get back to playing.”

In their game against the Lightning, the Capitals came back the way they went into the break.  They lost to the Lightning, as Tampa scored with eight seconds remaining in regulation time, giving Tampa a 4-3 lead. “They’re not as bad a team as their record indicates,” Wilson said. “… We were just soft at times in front of our own net. They just buried every chance they got.”

“We got a break at the end, but we’ll take it,” said Lightning coach Jacques Demers. “We took four points away from a very good team in this league.”

To close out February, the Capitals visited Tampa Bay for their third consecutive game against the Lightning. The Capitals thought this would be an opportunity to pick up some points as they headed into March for the playoff push, but they fell to the Lightning for the third time 5-2. “I don’t know what it is right now, but it’s terrible,” defenseman Calle Johansson said. “We shoot, but we don’t score, and we gave up a little too much defensively.”

Goaltender Olaf Kolzig started the game, but after giving up two goals on five shots, he was pulled after the first period for Bill Ranford. Ranford stopped 14 shots but gave up three goals and was credited with the loss.

“Eighty percent of their team is to stop [Adam] Oates and [Peter] Bondra, especially on the power play, and we did that,” Tampa Bay defenseman Yves Racine said. “We felt really positive before the game, we had a good period at the start, and we just rolled on from there.”

“They’ve made a lot of changes; this isn’t the same team they were a month ago,” coach Ron Wilson said of the Lightning. “They had some lucky goals, we didn’t have much luck and, definitely, the goaltending was a big difference. I saw this happen in the Olympics — you get frustrated with an inability to score, you let down your guard for a second, and the other team takes advantage.”

“It was bad positioning on my part,” Kolzig said. “I have to get back to the way I was playing before the All-Star break. Since then, I’ve been letting in too many iffy goals, and it’s starting to catch up with me now. I’m going to have to look at some videotape, get back to some better habits in practice.”

“Obviously we can play better; things just aren’t clicking right now,” stated Capitals forward Craig Berube. “What we have to do now is to keep working together and to stick together as a team. People might freak out because we lost three games in a row to Tampa Bay and they’re the worst team in the league, but that kind of thing happens, and there’s nothing we can do about it now. We have three tough games coming up, and if we win them, we’re right back where we were before.”

The Capitals kicked off March by hosting the Buffalo Sabres, The results, however, remained the same for the Capitals as the lost 3-0 thanks to a hat trick from Sabres forward Miroslav Satan, and a shutout by Olympic gold medalist goaltender Dominik Hasek (Czech Republic). Hasek stopped all 36 shots he faced from the Capitals.

“It’s tough for coach [Ron Wilson] to keep the lines together because they’re not doing anything right now,” said forward Joe Juneau. “We’re not getting the breaks, but we’re going to have to keep fighting, keep working hard because we have to turn this around.”

“They had too many clear scoring opportunities at us, and they weren’t half-chances, they were pretty good chances,” defenseman Calle Johansson said. “Our strength should be on our own side of the redline. They played a little more defensively in their end than we did, which is unbelievable. That shouldn’t happen.”

Buffalo goaltender Dominik Hasek had a theory for the Sabres victory, and that was the ice at the MCI Center. “My team is playing well defensively, but in this building, I think the ice is terrible,” Hasek said. “So it was the easiest job for the goalies to have a shutout. You won’t see Peter Bondra score 50 goals when the ice is like this.”

“We were trying to generate offense, to get people who were excited to be out there,” said coach Ron Wilson. “We’re a little frustrated by our inability to put the puck away right now. It gets a little frustrating for everybody, coaches included, that we can’t seem to get a bounce to go our way. The one time we should be driving the net, we have a guy turn away and that’s when the goaltender bobbles the puck. We just have to show a little more perseverance and keep going to the net because you never know what’s going to happen.”

“Things always turn on this time of the year, but it’s more likely to happen this year than any other year; you could shoot in one direction or another because of the schedule,” general manager George McPhee said about the condensed schedule because of the two and a half week Olympic break. “We have been aware of that since the start of the season, which is why we said we had to build a cushion for ourselves, so if you had a week like we’ve just had, we’d still be okay. Now we have to start winning. A game or two can put us right back in shape again.”

“We’re down to 23 games,” defenseman Joe Reekie said. “We want to get in position to get home ice in the playoffs. This week, with games against Boston, Philadelphia and Florida coming up, those are conference games. Those are games we have to win.”

On March 3rd the Capitals skid continued as they fell to the Boston Bruins 3-0. After the disappointing game, Wilson held an 18-minute team meeting where he told the players that they needed to be more accountable individually. “We have more talent on paper [than Boston], but when we don’t work hard, we’re going to get embarrassed, and that’s what we got in the second period,” Wilson said. “In the third, we were down by two and trying to dig out of a hole, and you can’t play that way. I’m not going to continue to play guys who throw snow out there or don’t want to get hit or don’t want to be involved in the play. You want to play soft, you don’t have a spot on this team, it’s as simple as that. You have to play the price, you have to be a responsible teammate, and we don’t have enough of that right now.”

“We stopped playing,” forward Peter Bondra said. “[In the postgame meeting, Wilson] told us to look individually at what you should do for the team and that you should come up with some answers. Hopefully, we’ll talk in the morning and come up with a way to start winning.”

During the team’s eight-game losing streak (0-7-1, worst since Jan. 1990), Wilson held a near two-hour team meeting in between the team’s losses against Boston and Philadelphia to emphasize one message above all others: Stop behaving as a group of individuals and start playing as a team.

“The question is, ‘Why do a group of guys start to all of a sudden think only in terms of himself?’” Wilson said. “We’ve broken the bonds of trust. Each guy is just worried about himself. There’s no helping each other out on the ice, not being a good teammate. you end up with a lot of individual efforts and not a concentrated effort. The trade deadline nearing doesn’t help. We haven’t made any trades this year and even that becomes a little drumbeat. Guys figure, ‘Oh God, they’ve got to do something: it’s inevitable. I’d better save my own skin tonight.’ There’s also great irony in the fact that we’re healthier than we’ve been all season. Because we’ve got everybody, there’s extra competition. Today, they got a chance to look at themselves for two hours. It’s a pretty ugly mirror and it doesn’t distort things.”

After the meeting, the Capitals faced the Philadelphia Flyers and fell 3-2. However, there were positives that the Capitals took from the loss. “The first and third periods were a lot better, but we stumbled at the end of the second period there and you can’t afford to make mistakes at this time of the year — we’re not scoring enough goals to compensate for them,” explained forward Kelly Miller . “But you’ve got to build somewhere, and I think the effort was a lot better today. Certainly we played the system better.”

“I don’t know [if Olaf Kolzig was tired]; it sure looks it. Billy [Ranford] came in and gave us a spark,” Wilson said. “We’re looking for a big save now. That’s what you need, a big save at a key moment. The third period we got that, and we had a goal, but then we got put down five-on-three with five minutes to go. We had a couple of bad minutes {in the second period}. We made a couple of mistakes that resulted in goals, mistakes by defensemen, unfortunately. But generally speaking, I’m pleased with our effort.”

Before their game on March 7th against the Florida Panthers, Wilson decided to give the Capitals a break and canceled practice. “Losing can weigh on your mind,” Wilson said. “I think the guys are playing a lot right now. They have been practicing a lot for a couple of weeks. We’re playing every other day. Not many teams are practicing right now. I can’t see the point in just whipping these guys because we’re not winning. That doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.”

Going into the game with the Panthers, the Capitals finally ended their eight-game losing streak as they doubled up the Panthers 6-3. Forwards Richard Zednik and Joe Juneau both scored two goals each, while Peter Bondra and Todd Krygier also scored for the Capitals in the win.

“We had to win this game,” Zednik said. “I hope this game can turn everything around and we can start winning games, feel better and get confidence on the ice. When I scored that goal, everything changed, we started playing good. It was like a different game.”

“Right at the end of the [first] period, I went in [to the dressing room], just shut the doors and singled out a few people,” Wilson said. “Maybe that’s what I needed to do. I don’t really believe in singling anybody out in front of their teammates, but it’s gotten to the point where some guys had been asleep for six or seven games and feeling sorry for themselves, and you have to get mad and not take this anymore. We weren’t shooting the puck and we were playing on the perimeter. Once we got committed to the inside of things, finishing our checks and playing angry, things started going our way.”

On March 9th, the Capitals hosted the Calgary Flames and marked the debut of forward Esa Tikkanen, who was acquired from the Panthers a day earlier. Tikkanen’s two assists, forward Peter Bondra’s two goals, and a goal and an assist from both forward Dale Hunter and defenseman Calle Johansson led the Capitals to a 5-2 victory over the Flames.

On March 12th, the Capitals defeated the New York Islanders 2-1. This marked the third straight start and victory for goaltender Bill Ranford and marked the second consecutive two-goal game for forward Peter Bondra. “It was a good night for all of us. We got two points, and that was important,” said Bondra, whose 41 goals put him in second place behind Anaheim’s Teemu Selanne. “Billy was there for us, and I scored a couple goals. They had chances, but Billy made the key saves. We didn’t open it up much, and we played the system.”

For goaltender Olaf Kolzig though, this marked the third straight game for him in the backup role, which was a first for this season. “For a while, it was, `What happened to me?’ because I went from playing in the All-Star Game and playing in the Olympics to not being able to stop a beach ball,” Kolzig said. “But then I watched some video the other day with [goaltending coach Dave Pryor,] and he said I wasn’t playing as bad as I thought I was. I was just looking at the results as far as losses, but I really just needed some minor corrections. Now I’m back in position, not giving many holes.”

On March 14th, the Capitals would hit a small speed bump as they fell to the Ottawa Senators 4-0. “It’s nice to see things are back to normal,” Senators goalie Ron Tugnutt said. “I feel confident against them, but I think it’s not just me, the team feels confidence against them because we’ve had success in the past against them. How about my buddy Ron Wilson pulling the goalie with them down 3-0? He just wanted to break my shutout. He knew they were going to lose but just wanted to show me that they could score. I played for him [in Anaheim]. I knew what he was trying to do. That’s fine.”

Capitals coach Ron Wilson spoke to the media before Tugnutt made his comments.

On March 16th, the Capitals hosted the Phoenix Coyotes, and goaltender Olaf Kolzig made 24 saves as forwards Adam Oates and Peter Bondra both recorded a goal and an assist each to lead the Capitals to a 2-1 victory. Kolzig earned his 23rd win of the season and first since January 21st, which was 18 games and 8 weeks ago.

“We knew they were going to throw everything at us; I was just fortunate to have eight-foot-long legs to stop [Coyotes forward Rick] Tocchet,” Kolzig said. “It was a big win for the team and it was a big win for myself personally. Sometimes you get on a losing streak, and you play worse than you think you are, and that’s what I was doing. I was putting too much pressure on myself to try to shut out everyone every game.”

“Late in the game Olie was the difference; he really made some critical saves,” former Capitals and current Coyotes coach Jim Schoenfeld said. “It was his play that enabled them to preserve the win.”

“Olie was outstanding, especially with about 35-40 seconds to go in the game, and a couple of other big saves along the way,” coach Ron Wilson said. “He was really solid. [Goaltending coach] Dave Pryor worked with him in practice, and it really re-focused, re-centered him back into his style. He looked comfortable out there, he wasn’t fighting the puck.”

On March 18th, the Capitals survived eight penalty kills as Kolzig made 36 saves to earn his third shutout of the season as the team defeated the visiting Carolina Hurricanes 1-0. Forward Steve Konowalchuk scored the lone goal, his first in two months, in the first period to give the Capitals the win. “It feels good always, especially since it turned out to be the game-winner, who would have thought?” Konowalchuk said. “I guess I almost gave up searching and just decided to go out and play. You can sit and think about everything you are doing, but you just have to go out and play hard.”

On March 20th, Kolzig recorded his second straight shutout as he made 33 saves for the Capitals to defeat the New Jersey Devils 2-0. With the win, it would also be Kolzig’s third consecutive win, and he has stopped 93 of the last 94 shots faced. “Olie was sort of in the twilight zone after the Olympics but now he’s in the zone,” coach Ron Wilson said. “You need strong goaltending. Your best penalty killer is your goalie, and it just breeds confidence. When the goaltender is playing well, you take a few more risks up the ice.”

“For our confidence, this win means a lot, especially coming now before the playoffs,” explained forward Peter Bondra. “It’s two big points for us against a team like New Jersey, the best team in the league. Hopefully we can build on this.”

The Capitals gained praise from the Devils after the game. “Washington is solid on the penalty kill; they are atop the league and there is a reason behind that,” Devils coach Jacques Lemaire said. “They are playing great.”

The next night the Capitals traveled to New Jersey for the second game of their home and home series, but this time the result would go the Devils way as they beat them 3-2. However, despite the loss, the Capitals defenseman Ken Klee unexpectedly scored both goals for them. “It was nice to score, but we want to win,” Klee said. “I’m not a big stats guy; I’m not a guy who is going to see my name up in the league leaders ever. I want to chip in whenever I can, but the most important thing is wins and losses. Tonight we played well, but special teams was the difference. They had two powerplay goals and we had none; our powerplay struggled a bit. I do think we proved a big thing this weekend because this is supposed to be the best team in the league and I thought we outplayed them for most of the time, so it’s a big boost for us.”

“We battled back in the third period, we had our chances, but they are a good team,” defenseman Brendan Witt said. “We didn’t do the little things to win us the hockey game. Kenny really kept us in it with those two big goals; we could have been out of it much earlier.”

On March 25th, following the NHL trade deadline, the Capitals began their trip through western Canada with a matchup against the Edmonton Oilers. The Capitals scored two goals early, but four unanswered goals by the Oilers doomed the Capitals to  a 4-2 loss. “A couple of the goals we let in were more mental than anything,” forward Adam Oates explained. “This is not the way you want to start off a trip, obviously. We put ourselves in a good position, and we blew it.”

The next night, the Capitals visited the Calgary Flames, and once again blew an early two-goal lead. Forwards Steve Konowalchuk and Adam Oates scored to give the Capitals the edge, but the Flames scored three unanswered goals to give them the 3-2 victory.

“It’s a joke is what it is — two games in a row in the second period we just go to sleep,” forward Craig Berube noted. “Instead of taking some pride in defense, we relax because we have a lead. Maybe it’s the trade deadline being over. Guys can relax because they’re not getting traded. When you have a lead like that, you shouldn’t lose.”

“We’re concerned because we’ve had an opportunity in the last three games that with some commitment to our game, we could have won,” assistant coach Tim Army said. “In the second periods, we become passive in situations where we control the game. We become passive and then we’ve been stung in each game, and we can’t come back from it.”

On March 28th, the Capitals ended their western Canada road trip with a victory as they defeated the Vancouver Canucks 3-2. Recently signed forward Brian Bellows scored two goals while defenseman Ken Klee scored his third goal in four games. Trade deadline acquisition defenseman Jeff Brown assisted on both of Bellows’s goals.

To end the month of March, the Capitals hosted the New York Islanders, but they would do it without defenseman Ken Klee who suffered facial injuries when he was hit in the face with a puck in the previous game. “I can’t feel any of my teeth and my cheek is all puffy,” Klee explained. He had fractures in his orbital, nasal, and maxilla bones. “It could be two or three days, it could be 10, we’ll have to see. The biggest concern is the break in the orbital bone [around his right eye].”

However, defenseman Phil Housley returned to the lineup after breaking his finger on March 8th. The Capitals went on to defeat the Islanders 5-2; forwards Peter Bondra, Steve Konowalchuk, Brian Bellows, and Esa Tikkanen all scored a goal, while goaltender Olaf Kolzig made 31 saves in the victory. “I’m excited, like a little kid out there,” Tikkanen said. “We like to have fun right now; there are nine games left and this is a great opportunity for us to put everything toward that [first playoff] game. Everything is working right right now.”

“We [the power play] were a little casual in the first period, but we really started in the second period moving the puck around,” coach Ron Wilson said. “The veterans know what to do. The Islanders have a lot of young guys, and we took advantage of some of the times they failed to clear the puck. We kept it in and made them pay for it. Our special teams made the big difference. They didn’t score on the power play and we scored on ours.”

Capitals were 8-9-0 in the final two games in February and the entire month of March.

Making Moves

Tikkanen Comes to DC

On March 8th, 1998, the Washington Capitals traded minor leaguer Dwayne Hay and a conditional draft pick to the Florida Panthers for veteran left winger Esa Tikkanen. “Esa’s a player who has always performed well in big games, and they are all big games at this time of year,” Capitals general manager George McPhee said. “He’s had a lot of success in the playoffs. He’s a real character. He’s a different bird, but he can play, especially at this time of year. He’s a fun-loving guy off the ice that always meant well, and on the ice, he’s as annoying and competitive as they come. He’s a real lively person, and I think the guys will like him a lot.”

“The message here is that we’re serious about the playoffs and doing well in the playoffs,” McPhee said. “This is something we wanted to do anyway. When we got closer to the deadline, we wanted to pick up a veteran player that didn’t have too much time left on his contract.”

Tikkanen was also a member of Finland’s Olympic team, and a bronze medalist. At the Nagano Games, Tikkanen scored two goals in six games and was a key part of Finland’s special teams units.

In his first game for the Capitals, Esa Tikkanen recorded two assists in a 5-2 win over the Calgary Flames. “He made his presence felt right off the bat,” praised coach Ron Wilson. “You could see a calmness about him in traffic and with the puck. He has the confidence a guy of his ability is going to have.”

“I was excited today, like a little boy again,” Tikkanen said. “I look at this team, we have great combinations. I can’t see why we won’t have a good run in the playoffs.”

“I think getting Tick in helped,” added defenseman Brendan Witt. “Having a guy like that who’s won five [Stanley] Cups boosts up the team. He showed what he can do tonight, and hopefully he’ll be valuable for our team in the long run.”

Pat Peake Has Career Ending Surgery

Also on March 8th, Pat Peake had surgery on his foot which was injured horrifically during the 1996 playoffs. The operation adds to the litany of surgeries Peake had on his right foot since shattering his heel. A week prior Peake speculated that if he did get the surgery, no team would express interest in giving him a new contract over the summer.

“Basically, I’m going to find out if my career is over,” Peake said at the time. “I haven’t been sleeping very much lately.”

Since the injury, Peake played in only five regular season games, one being on November 8th, 1997. Dr. Mark Myerson performed the surgery, which freed scar tissue from the peroneal tendon. He also deepened a groove in Peake’s ankle allowing the tendon to heal properly.

Peake did not play another game in the NHL after having the surgery.

Kolzig Honored

On March 23rd, the National Hockey League named Washington Capitals goaltender Olaf Kolzig the Player of the Week.

Kolzig began the week with 24 saves in a 2-1 win over Phoenix and followed with back-to-back shutouts over Carolina and New Jersey. In the three games, he compiled a 0.33 goals-against average and a .989 save percentage, helping to push the Capitals from fifth to fourth in the Eastern Conference standings.

This was the first time Kolzig had earned the honor.

Caps sign Veteran Bellows

On March 25th, it was revealed that the Washington Capitals signed forward Brian Bellows to a contract four days earlier t. Bellows, who needed to clear waivers to join the team, was a former teammate of head coach Ron Wilson and defenseman Mark Tinordi from their time with the Minnesota North Stars. “He played for [Wilson] in Anaheim last season and played well enough that Wilson thought he could come to us and make a difference,” general manager George McPhee said. “He’s basically a free player, so I thought it was worth the money and the risk.”

“I think that once I get back into NHL form, I’ll be an offensive threat around the net and on the power play, especially,” said Bellows. “It doesn’t always translate immediately into goals, but at least it’s a threat, and Ron knows that I bring a lot of intensity to the game, especially during the playoffs.”

“I know for a fact Brian will help our power play, especially being a right-handed shot, which is something we really lacked,” Wilson said. “He’s someone [Adam Oates] can play catch with but also someone who, if he gets the puck down low, he will take it to the net and pay the price to put a shot on goal.”

On March 27th, 1998, Brian Bellows made his Capitals and season debut against the Vancouver Canucks. Bellows scored two goals to help the Caps defeat the Canucks 3-2, and end a three-game losing streak. “The game plan was to let me practice for four or five days to get the legs back, get used to the tempo, but as it turned out, I’m glad I went ahead with it,” said Bellows. “Honestly, I was pretty nervous to come back. To be on a line with Adam [Oates] is comforting in a way but you also want to make sure you don’t mess things up and you make the most of your chances.”

“When you make a move like [acquiring Bellows], and it pays dividends right off the bat, it’s also good for the team’s confidence,” said Wilson. “All of the sudden, they’re like, `Oh we’ve got a guy who can score,’ and that takes some of the pressure off of Peter Bondra and others.”

Trade Deadline Deal

On March 24th, 1998, the Washington Capitals acquired veteran defenseman Jeff Brown from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for veteran defenseman Sylvain Cote. This marked the second time this season Brown was traded, with the first trade happening on January 2nd when the Maple Leafs acquired him from Carolina.

Heading into the trade deadline the Capitals were originally looking to acquire a scoring forward, but went with Brown, an offensive-minded defenseman, with the hope that he would boost the team’s powerplay. “There really weren’t any forwards available of the type we were looking for, and with the special teams being so important, we went to make an improvement there,” explained general manager George McPhee “Jeff is a very good power play specialist and a steady defenseman. He and Cote are similar players five on five, but [Brown] can really do things for you on the power play. Jeff knows the sacrifice it takes to succeed in the playoffs and without doubt gives our team considerable postseason experience.”

“The last time George McPhee traded for me, we went to the finals, and this is a chance to go to the finals again — maybe lightning will strike twice,” Brown said from Phoenix, where he had been expecting to play in the Maple Leafs’ game against the Coyotes that night.

“We’ve liked [Cote] for a long time, and when we found out a while back that he might be available, we kept him in mind,” Toronto associate general manager Mike Smith noted.” He’ll have a big role on our team in the next couple of years. He’s a complete player, offensively and defensively, and he’s very competitive. It’s a good trade for both clubs.”

“He has good experience in the playoffs, so we know he can perform in crunch time, but the important thing was to improve our power play,” coach Ron Wilson said. “… we’ve lacked that right-handed shot. We’re almost naked, right-handed shot-wise, throughout our lineup; we’ve got one righty forward and two defensemen who are righty. That makes it difficult, because you become predictable on your power play.”

The trade also eliminated the possibility of losing Cote in the upcoming expansion draft for the incoming Nashville Predators.

Brown made his Washington Capitals debut on March 25th in Edmonton against the Oilers. Brown recorded no points but was on the ice for the Capitals two goals in a 4-2 loss.

Jeff Brown’s Wild Ride to DC

Before being traded to Washington, defenseman Jeff Brown started the season with the Carolina Hurricanes, but his life was turned upside down when he suffered an injury against the Capitals on December 20th, 1997 when a puck hit Brown between his shin pad and his skate creating a deep cut that went to the bone. When Brown was traded to Toronto on January 2nd, 1998, both Brown and the Maple Leafs didn’t think much of the injury. However, the cut became infected which caused the injured area, and his entire leg to swell. 

“Over time, it just got infected, and then I came down with that flesh-eating bacterial disease, streptococcus,” Brown said. “They said another two or three hours and I would have lost a leg or died, I guess. While I was in the hospital, I was reading about two people in Ottawa who died from it and a few people in Texas, too. The trainers in Toronto probably saved my life. I just wanted to go back to sleep, and they said, no, you have to get to the doctor. So then I went to the doctor, and he sent me to the hospital right away for emergency surgery on it. It was swollen all the way up through my leg, so they cut it back open and flushed it out with this saline gun.”

Brown returned to the lineup after the Olympic break, but Brown’s wife Laina, who was still in North Carolina with their daughter, gave birth to their son Logan around the same time. The Leafs gave Brown the chance to spend a few days with his family, and just when he thought he had everything settled, the Leafs traded him to the Capitals.

“After everything that’s happened, I’m just looking at these next three weeks to get my timing, my shape, everything back and ready, so when the playoff run comes I’m ready to go,” Brown said. “It’s been a little crazy lately.”

Wilson Keeps Goals in Perspective

With 15 games remaining, coach Ron Wilson preached the goal was to make the playoffs. If home ice was achieved, it was a bonus. “There’s a panic out there that if we don’t get home ice, we haven’t succeeded in what we wanted to do,” Wilson said. “You want to get in the playoffs, that’s first and foremost. If you can get home ice, it’s a little bit of an advantage, but you don’t want to go so hard to get home ice that all the energy you spend drains your tank for the first round of the playoffs.”

The last time the Capitals had home-ice advantage was in 1993, but they lost to the New York Islanders 4-2 in the first round. “Obviously you’d like to get home ice, which we haven’t had it in a long time in this organization,” goaltender Olaf Kolzig said. “But even more so, we want to make this an intimidating place. So even if we don’t have home ice in the playoffs, when the team comes in here, they know they’re going to be in for a hard game and our style of hockey. If we start winning more now, we can get more fans. If we get more fans, it can get louder, and the louder it gets, the more intimidating it gets.”

Mike Eagles Goes From the Bench to the Ice

On February 1st, forward Mike Eagles suffered a hairline fracture on his foot against Detroit. He returned on March 5th, but Eagles only lasted a game and a half before getting hit with a puck in the same spot and re-aggravating the injury. “Ideally, you’d want to get in more practice but this is the schedule, and I wanted to get back in the games as quickly as possible,” Eagles said before the game on March 5th. “I feel good; the biggest concern is my conditioning.”

When the Capitals faced the Edmonton Oilers, Eagles returned, but with a protective piece of plastic taped to his skate. “It felt fine,” Eagles said. “I’m not going to stick my foot out to block a shot or anything, but I’m not nervous playing on it just regularly.”

While injured, for the week leading up to his return, Eagles served as an assistant coach on the bench. “I was fired,” Eagles joked before the Capitals games against Calgary on March 26th. “Really, I was more a cheerleader than a coach, but it was a good experience for me. I’m glad to be back to playing, though.”

“Mike wants to be a coach one day, and he’s the type of guy who’s excitable and good for the team,” coach Ron Wilson said. “It kills him not to be in the lineup, so that was a way to keep him involved. It was sort of a reward for all the work he’s done.”

On March 20th, Eagles was selected as the Capitals nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, which is awarded to the player who exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.

April

Heading into April, the Washington Capitals had nine games remaining in their 1997-98 regular season, and for goaltender Olaf Kolzig, who cemented himself as the primary starter during the season, was not sure how coach Ron Wilson planned to handle both Kolzig and Bill Ranford for the remainder. 

“Everyone has a different philosophy, and I don’t know what Wilson’s is,” Kolzig said. “He hasn’t really said anything to me, so I’m just taking my opportunities and trying to win every time out. Obviously, as the postseason comes, you do want to play more, you want to get into a rhythm, into a habit of winning and working on the little things in your game that will help your team get over the top in the playoffs. I think coaches realize that, that they can’t keep switching around, that they need one guy to be in a groove, at his peak when the playoffs start. Hopefully that’s what’s going to happen with me, but as I said, I’m not sure what Ron’s plans are.”

On April 2nd, the Capitals hosted the Tampa Bay Lightning, and were able to finally defeat the worst team in the league as they struck early and often to defeat the Lightning 4-1. Forward Peter Bondra scored two goals for the second consecutive game, and Kolzig made 24 saves out of 25 shots faced to earn his 28th victory of the season.

“It was probably the easiest game I played all year,” Kolzig said. “We’re just playing smarter hockey, we’re not making mistakes and everybody’s on the same page going into the playoffs. But like I said a couple of weeks ago, we need to establish some atmosphere in this building, and the only way we can do that is by winning.”

The win also marked the Capitals seventh straight win at home. “It’s important to play well at home, although I’d certainly like more people to see us play well,” Wilson said. “I’m told that for a while, when we were first in here, we had struggled a bit and that’s why the crowds were down, and then we won and that’s why the crowds were up, but now we’re winning and you’re not going to see us play better. But sometimes it is the opposition. When you’re playing the worst team in the league, it’s tough to attract people.”

With eight games remaining, the Capitals looked to earn three wins, or six points, to clinch a playoff spot. Safely lodged in the middle of the Eastern Conference, Wilson pondered disaster. “You always have that in the back of your mind — a total collapse,” Wilson said. “That’s how coaches think. I always think about baseball — ask Don Zimmer about the Yankees catching them. I mean, I don’t think it’s going to happen, but as a coach, you’re always worried about the worst.”

On April 4th, the Capitals hosted the Los Angeles Kings, and extended their winning streak to four and to eight at home with the 3-2 victory. Forward Peter Bondra was granted a penalty shot in the game, but had the puck bounce on him, nullifying the opportunity. “It was one of those kind of bounces on which I need a better break, but it’s okay, we won,” Bondra said. “I thought I had an almost empty net, and usually when you have ice like that, you should try to shoot the puck and not try to make a move, but the goalie let me have that move. Then, I basically lost the puck.”

Kolzig earned his fourth straight win, stopping 23 of 25 shots faced.

On April 6th, the Montreal Canadiens came to town for a matchup with the Capitals, with both looking to solidify their position in the standings. “We’re confident that we’re going to go into the playoffs playing strong, but this is going to be a big game,” Capitals forward Todd Krygier said. “This is a really tight race all over the bottom half of the conference, and we want home ice advantage.”

In the game, the Capitals came out with little intensity to start, but as the game went on, they got into their groove to salvage a 2-2 tie for a point in the standings. Kolzig made 34 saves in the effort, and forwards Adam Oates and Steve Konowalchuk scored for the Capitals. However, the Capitals lost two defensemen to injury as Brendan Witt sprained his wrist and Jeff Brown got the wind knocked out of him and both players did not return to the game. Adding to the fact they were already missing defensemen Joe Reekie, Ken Klee, and Mark Tinordi due to injuries, defensively the Capitals were badly banged up.

“We were doing our best to help the defense out but they were taking advantage,” coach Ron Wilson said. “Olie played a great game, but we just didn’t have it [early in the game]. In the third period, we were excellent; we had to suck it up, there was no way around it.”

On April 8th, the Capitals traveled to Dallas for a matchup with the Stars, and despite a valiant effort by Olaf Kolzig with 24 saves on 26 shots faced, the Capitals fell in overtime 2-1 when Jamie Langenbrunner scored off of a turnover 3:28 into overtime to give the Stars the victory. 

“A break here or there and we could have won the game, but we made a capital error there in overtime,” Wilson said. “You don’t throw the puck into the middle, one, and you don’t have two defensemen leaving the zone to try to join the rush when there’s a questionable possession. But hopefully we’ll learn something from this.”

The loss was the Capitals first one in six games. This also marked the first Capitals overtime loss since December 1996.

With a few days in between games, the Capitals started to see some encouraging signs from two of their injured defensemen; Mark Tinordi and Ken Klee. Mark Tinordi participated in his first full-contact practice since straining his abdominal muscles in mid-January. After being on doctor mandated rest, Tinordi was not recovering so general manager George McPhee sent Tinordi to Vancouver to see a specialist who recommended a therapy program. 

“Once I went on the program, things started happening pretty fast,” Tinordi said. “In the last three or four days, I feel like I’ve really turned a corner. I’ve gotten to practice with the guys a little and I feel good. [Wilson] told me he had to see me go through a full practice before I could play, so I guess [today] is the day for that.”

Defenseman Ken Klee began to make progress from his broken facial bones as he started skating hard again. “I didn’t feel dizzy, which is a big step, and I’m not spitting out blood anymore, either,” Klee said. “I still can’t really chew. Ever since it happened, I’ve been kind of gumming pasta and soup, but now that my sinuses are getting better, hopefully that will get better, too. I’d like to come back next week, but we’ll have to see how it goes.”

But tragedy struck the Capitals the day before their game against the Philadelphia Flyers on April 11th as forward Peter Bondra suffered a strained knee ligament he hurt in the previous game against Dallas. “I got kind of stuck into Derian Hatcher late in the game [against Dallas] and I finished, but it hurt,” Bondra said. “Then it stiffened up on the plane, and I saw the doctor. He wants me to wait a couple of days to see how I feel. We don’t want it to get worse just because I play on it, tear it or something, and then end up out for a long time.”

“When Peter’s in the lineup, it’s almost like you go into a game with a goal advantage,” forward Joe Juneau said. “When he’s not there it hurts us, obviously, and makes it tougher to win. Other people are going to have to step up and score.”

In Philadelphia, the Capitals stumbled against the Flyers, losing 4-3. “We kept coming back at them, but it wasn’t enough,” coach Ron Wilson said. “We had a pretty good effort, and we had plenty of opportunities, but we had some big breakdowns in our end that resulted in goals.”

However, despite the loss, the Capitals clinched a spot in the 1998 Stanley Cup Playoffs thanks to the Carolina Hurricanes loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. In sixth place, if the season ended that day, the Capitals would face the Flyers in the first round. 

“Obviously if the season ended right now, we’d be playing these guys, so it would have been nice to beat them and give them something to really think about going into the playoffs,” goaltender Olaf Kolzig said after making 22 saves in the loss. “If you take away the first and fourth goals, it’s a 3-2 [Washington] win. I’m not saying they got away with one, because they played a good game, but they know they got a couple gifts today.”

With four games remaining in the regular season, the Capitals entered their April 13th matchup with the New York Islanders with ten players missing due to injury, including forward Peter Bondra and five of the team’s eight regular defensemen. The injury stockpile factored into the Capitals three-game winless streak. “There are four games left and you have to play like they are playoff games and try to win every one of them,” forward Esa Tikkanen said. “Every team is playing well, and we have to continue to play hard.”

In the game against the Islanders, Capitals goaltender Olaf Kolzig made 35 saves, and forwards Brian Bellows and Andrei Nikolishin scored to secure a 2-0 victory. “Olie was amazing as usual, saving us in the second period when we needed him, but it was a good game for us all around,” defenseman Calle Johansson said. “We were just in sync, which is a good thing, because we needed this game to stay in it for home ice.”

“That’s playoff hockey right there, these 1-0 and 2-0 games,” Kolzig said. “I wouldn’t have expected this going into the season, but hopefully I can keep it going, and by the middle of June I can have 45 wins.”

On April 14th, the Capitals played host to the New York Rangers, and Washington continued their unbeaten streak at home, growing it to ten games with a 3-1 victory. Forward Andrei Nikolishin’s game-winner would guarantee it after the puck bounced off his nose and into the Rangers net. “It’s not too bad if you can score a goal,” Nikolishin said. “You have to pay the price, right?”

Forward Peter Bondra returned to the Capitals lineup and scored his 49th goal of the season to give the Capitals their first goal of the game, while forward Joe Juneau scored in the third period to put the game on ice. “It could have been over a lot earlier, because we played great in our end and great in their end, and that’s what we have to do going into the playoffs,” Kolzig said. “We have to be feeling pretty good about ourselves right now.”

The win helped the Capitals move into fourth place in the Eastern Conference after getting some help from the Ottawa Senators who defeated the Florida Panthers to clinch the eighth and final spot in the conference. With two games remaining, and both against the Carolina Hurricanes, the Capitals looked to secure the fourth spot in the East. 

“A week from now, we’re going to be in the playoffs, and it’s time to round our game into form,” coach Ron Wilson said. “Right now, I like what I see, and again, we have nine players hurt and a lot of them will be back by then.”

On April 18th, the Capitals began their home series with the Carolina Hurricanes to finish the regular season, and forward Michal Pivonka, who missed 23 games with a groin injury, was among five players to return to the Capitals lineup. “I felt pretty good out there, Pivonka said. “I’m not sure what to expect in the game, because I haven’t played in a while, but, hey, I’m just happy to be able to play again.”

Defensemen Mark Tinordi (abdominal strain), Joe Reekie (hip strain), Ken Klee (fractured facial bones), and Jeff Brown (headaches) also returned to lineup for the Capitals resulting in defenseman Stewart Malgunas, who was called up on an emergency recall, being sent back to AHL’s Portland. “It’s a tight race right now, and we know that,” forward Steve Konowalchuk said. “Having all these guys come back is going to help us.”

In the game against the Hurricanes, forward Peter Bondra scored his 50th goal of the season, with the Capitals defeating Carolina 4-3 at Greensboro Coliseum. “This was a big game for us, because we want to start the playoffs at home,” Bondra said. “Everybody on the team tried to help me put the puck in the net — coach, teammates. It was cool. I feel really good.”

The goal, which was also the game-winner, marked the second time Bondra hit the 50-goal mark in a season. In 1995-96 he scored 52 goals. Bondra, along with the four defensemen who returned to the lineup, played regular shifts. “Especially with [Mark Tinordi] back, you can hear the difference in the noise level of people hitting the glass and boards,” coach Ron Wilson said. “We haven’t had that for a while.”

On April 19th, the Capitals ended the 1997-98 regular season at home against the Hurricanes, and it was Bondra once again scoring two goals to give the Capitals the 2-1 victory to secure fourth place in the Eastern Conference and home-ice advantage in at least the first round of the playoffs. Bondra’s two goals gave him 52 for the season, tying his career-high. Bondra also tied Mighty Ducks of Anaheim forward Teemu Selanne for first place in the league in goals.

“Getting home ice means a lot, and it feels good that we finished so strong,” Bondra said. “Confidence is the key. We believe that we have a good team and a good goalie, and we can go all the way through.”

“This is the best feeling we’ve had in a long time,” goaltender Olaf Kolzig said after making 27 saves, helping the Capitals earn their fourth consecutive win to end the season. “In the past we were so banged up and the battle to just get into the playoffs took a lot out of us, and we didn’t have a lot left over for the playoffs themselves. So making the playoffs with a week left in the season and having guys healthy and everyone firing on all cylinders, it’s the best feeling we’ve had in a long time. Now we have to do it in the playoffs.”

After the game, around 16,000 fans were at MCI Center to give the Capitals a standing ovation as they left the ice. General manager George McPhee thanked the fans from the ice while balloons came down from the rafters.

The Capitals finished April with a 6-2-1 record, for 13 points. The Capitals also ended the regular season with a new franchise record of 476 man-games lost to injury, which broke the previous franchise record of 361 games which was set during the 1996-97 season. Captain and forward Dale Hunter played in all 82 games along with forward Adam Oates. They were the only two Capitals players to play the full season.

Bondra Named Player of the Week

On April 6th, 1998, Washington Capitals forward Peter Bondra was named the NHL’s player of the week. This marked the second time in three weeks a Capitals player earned the honor. “I guess they gave it to me because they couldn’t give it to all three of us,” Bondra said, referring to linemates Steve Konowalchuk and Andrei Nikolishin. In the three games, the trio had combined for 19 points.

“This is a good time of year for me and for the whole team to be playing well,” Bondra said. “You have to treat each game like you are already in the playoffs.”

“Bondra is obviously one of the best goal scorers in the league,” Konowalchuk said. “It’s fun to play with him, because you give him the puck and you have a good chance of getting an assist. Nikolishin is playing really well, really solid, and he’s another guy who’s really heads up and can find us out in the open. Teams have to respect Peter so much, he’s got so much speed, and that gives myself or Niko more time because Bondra’s the main guy.”

Kolzig Honored Again

On April 20th, 1998, Washington Capitals goaltender Olaf Kolzig earned his second NHL player of the week award of the season. Kolzig earned both honors within a one-month span. “We’ve had a solid year, and this was a great way to end the season going into the playoffs, winning four in a row,” Kolzig said. “We’re playing consistent hockey, and the timing couldn’t be any better. Everything is starting to fall into place.”

Kolzig went a perfect 4-0-0 during the week of April 13th to earn the honor.

For the season, Kolzig appeared in 64 games, and went 33-18-10 with a 2.20 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage. Kolzig also recorded a career-high five shutouts. Kolzig ranked third in the NHL in both wins and save percentage.

With the regular season completed, the Washington Capitals enter the 1998 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Stay tuned for Chapter 10 – Eastern Conference Quarter Finals vs. Boston Bruins.

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• Alexander, Rachel. “Capitals Earn One Point With Tie: Washington Retains Fourth Place, Home Win Streak Ends at Eight,” April 7, 1998. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1998/04/07/capitals-earn-one-point-with-tie/36d60600-3660-43eb-a951-8f0699b2c424/.
• Alexander, Rachel. “Caps Hang Tight, Lose Grip in OT: First Loss for Washington in Six Games,” April 9, 1998. https://montgomery.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/hnpwashingtonpost/historical-newspapers/caps-hang-tight-lose-grip-ot/docview/1619969390/sem-2?accountid=47412.
• Alexander, Rachel. “Tinordi Is Set to Rejoin Defense,” April 10, 1998. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1998/04/10/tinordi-is-set-to-rejoin-defense/2b6754f8-0588-41c7-a924-999b32d6ca92/.
• Alexander, Rachel. “Bondra Strains Knee Ligament, Won’t Play Today Against Flyers,” April 11, 1998. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1998/04/11/bondra-strains-knee-ligament-wont-play-today-against-flyers/d4966d33-7df2-444e-a1d5-795a9cd7cadc/.
• Alexander, Rachel. “Caps Lose, Qualify for Playoffs,” April 12, 1998. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1998/04/12/caps-lose-qualify-for-playoffs/a86e5666-87c8-458c-97b1-a4f25b73da17/.
• Alexander, Rachel. “Caps Seek Home Ice, Injury-Free Players,” April 13, 1998. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1998/04/13/caps-seek-home-ice-injury-free-players/9db94e9a-056c-4c97-9d84-728f3846aa54/.
• Alexander, Rachel. “Others Injured, Kolzig Is Fit for the Job,” April 14, 1998. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1998/04/14/others-injured-kolzig-is-fit-for-the-job/885634d3-cc02-426b-9ab4-d6beadb561b3/.
• Alexander, Rachel. “Capitals Win by A Nose: Unbeaten in 10 Straight at Home,” April 15, 1998. https://montgomery.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/hnpwashingtonpost/historical-newspapers/capitals-win-nose/docview/1620129555/sem-2?accountid=47412.
• Alexander, Rachel. “Hurt Caps Are Cleared To Play: Pivonka, Tinordi Among 5 Back Today,” April 18, 1998. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1998/04/18/hurt-caps-are-cleared-to-play/23481b77-570c-490c-90ec-02854a489597/.
• Alexander, Rachel. “Bondra’s 50th Has Capitals Looking Toward Home,” April 19, 1998. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1998/04/19/bondras-50th-has-capitals-looking-toward-home/73561891-df27-455b-b2f7-39a08792061f/.
• Alexander, Rachel. “Caps Are Homeward Bound for Playoffs,” April 20, 1998. https://montgomery.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/hnpwashingtonpost/historical-newspapers/caps-are-homeward-bound-playoffs/docview/1620155145/sem-2?accountid=47412.
• Alexander, Rachel. “Caps’ Kolzig Again Named Player of Week,” April 21, 1998. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1998/04/21/caps-kolzig-again-named-player-of-week/7df4e868-e8ba-403b-b83f-821a4324e3a9/.