Capitals Milestones to Watch for in 2008-2009

The Olympics are finally over and now it’s time to focus on the important things in life. First and foremost being the Washington Capitals. Well, maybe that’s a bit over the top but I am ready for this season to get underway, now! For the Capitals this year is filled with expectations and the players are expected to step up their game to the next level. The Caps are returning most of the roster from the end of last season. The three members not returning are Olie Kolzig and trade deadline acquisitions Matt Cooke and Cristobal Huet. Kolzig’s departure is bittersweet as he was the former face of the franchise and the Cap’s #1 all-time goalie by far.

Kolzig’s departure signifies a changing of the guard in Washington. In addition to holding nearly every Capitals goalie record, he was 8^th on the Capitals games played list with 711 games played. Now the active leader in games played as a Capital falls to none other than Alex Ovechkin, the new face of the franchise. Ovechkin has played 245 games for the Caps in three seasons and is ranked at 58^th on the Cap’s list. Others moving up the list are Shaone Morrisonn with 237 games played and Brooks Laich with 232.

Ovechkin is also tearing up the rest of the Capitals All-time lists as well. He is currently 10^th on the Goals Scored list and with 163. This season he could become the 4^th player in team history to score 200 goals. While Peter Bondra, 472 goals, and Mike Gartner, 397 goals, are a ways off, Mike Ridley’s 218 goals could be within reach this season. Fellow countrymen Alexander Semin has 74 goals with the Caps and should be the 23^rd Capital to reach the 100 goals milestone. Ovechkin is also moving up the Assist and Points lists as well. There is a chance he could reach 200 assists and 400 points this season. He currently stands at 147 assists and 310 points. Michael Nylander and Nicklas Backstrom are poised to break 100 assists with the Caps this season. Nylander has 67 with the club and Backstrom had 55 in his first year. In addition to these two, Brooks Laich (77 pts) and Mike Green (71 pts) are on track to join the Capitals 100-point club this season.

Some other team milestones are within reach for the Caps as well. Donald Brashear, Shaone Morrisonn, and Chris Clark are bearing down on the 300 penalty minute mark. Brashear is the closest with 275. Ovechkin needs 6 game-winning goals to reach 30. With another 400+ shots on goal season Ovechkin will surpass 1,600. Clark needs 3 shorthanded goals to reach 10. So let’s hurry up and get this season started and see what these guys can do.

Here is a list of last season’s Capital Milestones:

Player	Milestone	Stat	Date
OVECHKIN, ALEXANDER	200	PTS	6-Oct
OVECHKIN, ALEXANDER	100	G	12-Oct
GREEN, MIKE	100	GM	24-Oct
OVECHKIN, ALEXANDER	900	SOG	8-Nov
PETTINGER, MATT	300	GM	23-Nov
CLARK, CHRIS	100	PTS	23-Nov
CLARK, CHRIS	200	PIM	23-Nov
BRASHEAR, DONALD	100	GM	24-Nov
NYLANDER, MICHAEL	100	GM	30-Nov
NYLANDER, MICHAEL	200	SOG	1-Dec
POTHIER, BRIAN	100	GM	7-Dec
SEMIN, ALEXANDER	100	PTS	8-Dec
BRASHEAR, DONALD	200	PIM	12-Dec
OVECHKIN, ALEXANDER	1000	SOG	14-Dec
OVECHKIN, ALEXANDER	200	GM	26-Dec
BRADLEY, MATT	200	SOG	27-Dec
MORRISONN, SHAONE	200	GM	29-Dec
SEMIN, ALEXANDER	400	SOG	13-Jan
LAICH, BROOKS	300	SOG	15-Jan
GORDON, BOYD	200	SOG	23-Jan
LAICH, BROOKS	200	GM	24-Jan
EMINGER, STEVE	200	GM	24-Jan
GREEN, MIKE	200	SOG	29-Jan
OVECHKIN, ALEXANDER	1100	SOG	31-Jan
PETTINGER, MATT	500	SOG	2-Feb
OVECHKIN, ALEXANDER	20	GWG	5-Feb
KOLZIG, OLAF	700	GM	10-Feb
FLEISCHMANN, TOMAS	100	GM	20-Feb
OVECHKIN, ALEXANDER	1200	SOG	12-Mar
SCHULTZ, JEFF	100	GM	14-Mar
BRADLEY, MATT	200	GM	18-Mar
OVECHKIN, ALEXANDER	300	PTS	18-Mar
SEMIN, ALEXANDER	500	SOG	21-Mar
JURCINA, MILAN	100	GM	25-Mar
GORDON, BOYD	200	GM	27-Mar
KOZLOV, VICTOR	200	SOG	29-Mar
GREEN, MIKE	300	SOG	1-Apr