February 18, 2004
Exit Peter Bondra
When I heard the news today that the Washington Captials had traded Peter Bondra to the Ottawa Senators, I had a hard time imagining the team without him.
Could it really have been 14 seasons since Bondra, along with linemates Michal Pivonka and Dmitri Khristich, had been touted as the future of the franchise? Could Bondra, still seemingly as fast as ever, actually be 36 years old, and winding down a career in relative obscurity in Washington?
Bondra came to Washington in 1990 in the wake of the end of the Cold War -- an event that was an absolute boon to ice hockey in terms of supplying the league with skads of new talent. It was an odd time, as the Caps were still reeling from the departure of Scott Stevens to St. Louis via free agency. Throughout the 90s, the Capitals were an anonymous blue collar bunch -- not terribly talented offensively, but disciplined in their own end, and relatively dangerous counterpunchers.
But while his game didn't exactly mesh with the team's character, his personality certainly did. In a way, that worked against him, as lesser talents grabbed more press attention, Bondra just kept scoring goals with few outside Washington bothering to notice. Unfortunately for him, more often than not he was the team's only real offensive threat, a hard fact of life that made him something of a marked man come playoff time. And every year, as the Caps continued to fall short in the playoffs, he bore much of the blame.
But without any other talent around him, he really wasn't to blame. Meanwhile, he was one of the few Captials to actually live in Washington year round. You got the sense he really liked it here, and along with goalie Olie Kolzig, was pretty much the most popular player on the team. And as time went on, and he kept scoring goals, he only got more popular.
And as he matured, so did his game. Concerned with nothing more than padding his offensive totals early in his career, Bondra eventually developed an all-around game you could admire. That was never more apparent than three seasons ago, when the Caps acquired Jaromir Jagr from the Penguins. The contrast between the two players couldn't have been more striking. Jagr, an incredible natural talent, never, ever looked like he was working very hard. On the other hand, it was clear that Bondra didn't leave anything on the ice, playing a game that took him up and down the length of the playing surface.
He played the point on the power play. He killed penalties. And this season, he was sold on taking on the mission of shutting down the top enemy skaters. And he did it all without complaint.
Black, Red and Gold seems pretty excited about Bondra coming to Ottawa, and he ought to be. What you're getting is a dedicated professional who won't leave anything on the ice.
One day, his number will hang from the rafters at MCI Center. But first, there's other business to take care of.
If Ottawa gets to the Finals, I know who I'm rooting for.
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.ericmcerlain.com/mt/mt-tb.cgi/2965
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Exit Peter Bondra:
» Ottawa Bound Bondra from CC NHL Weblog
I can't add much to what BlackRedGold wrote about the Ottawa Senators winning the Peter Bondra sweepstakes or what Eric McErlain wrote about Peter Bondra, the Washington Capital. There was more than a dose of irony in TSN coverage which... [Read More]
Tracked on February 18, 2004 09:55 PM
Provided that Bondra works out as expected, I think you could tag this deal as the biggest one the Sens ever made. Previous one would be the Yashin trade that netted Spezza and Chara.
Posted by:
at February 18, 2004 09:03 PM
Eric, no e-mail at work. Check out link/box score and ask yourself, when was the last time a goalie had TWO points in a game?
http://pointstreak.com/prostats/boxscore.html?gameid=44431
Love what you do here.
Cheers, Mi3ke
Posted by:
at February 19, 2004 04:08 AM
Bondra is probably the biggest star the Sens have ever had. I've been a fan of his for a long time, and he's been an A-list player in the league for as long as I can remember. I am salivating at the prospect of watching a power play consisting of Alfredsson, Bondra, Hossa, Bonk, and Redden. YOWZA. This trade has made my week.
Posted by:
at February 19, 2004 09:42 AM
For what it's worth, I have always drafted or dealt for Bondra in every incarnation of EA Sports' NHL games.
Posted by:
at February 19, 2004 11:54 AM
Post a comment
Thanks for signing in,
.
(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)
07:08 PM