September 02, 2008
Number 11 No Longer Available
No longer will anyone be able to don the #11 sweater for the Caps, as the team will retire Mike Gartner's jersey on December 28th. From the Caps website;
Gartner, a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame who ranks second in Capitals history in goals (397), assists (392) and points (789), will become the fourth player in Capitals history to have his number retired...He holds the Capitals record for most consecutive games with a point (17, twice) and consecutive games with a goal (9) and shares the club record for most shorthanded goals in a season (6)...Gartner played 1,432 career games with five teams in his career, recording 708 goals (sixth in NHL history) and 627 assists for 1,335 points. Inducted in the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001, Gartner holds the NHL record for the most 30-goal seasons (17) and shares the record for most consecutive 30-goal seasons (15). He played in seven NHL All-Star Games and three times won the NHL’s fastest skater competition at the NHL All-Star Game.
This will be the first time a Caps jersey has been retired without the player being the last to wear it. This has been nearly two decades of waiting for Gartner, with #11 being worn by players such as Bob Carpenter and Jeff Halpern after Gartner's departure.
As Caps owner Ted Leonsis puts it;
Capitals fans have fond memories of Mike Gartner flying down the right wing and scoring goals at the Capital Centre,” said Capitals chairman and majority owner Ted Leonsis. “This is a fitting tribute to one of the elite offensive players in the history of the game who was a crucial member of the first Capitals playoff teams.
It's always good add another piece of visible history to the rafters of the Verizon Center. While it doesn't change anything that Gartner did, I'm sure it will make more than a few kids in the crowd as their dads "Who is that?". And then they'll hear a story about one of the greatest goalscorers in league and Capitals history.
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03:52 PM