From The Archives: A look Back At The Capitals First-Ever Training Camp

This article originally appeared in The Hockey News Oct 11, 1974/vol. 28, issue 01

BY RUSS WHITE

WASHINGTON — The day the Washington Capitals were officially hatched was a scary experience for everyone. At lunch just before the team was to bus from its training camp in London. Ont. to St. Catharines for a game against the Buffalo Sabres, right wing Steve Atkinson choked on a piece of meat.

He had to be rushed immediately to the London hospital.

Atkinson survived.

The Capitals survived that first National Hockey League exhibition also and actually gave the five-year old Sabres a first period scare by taking a 2-0 lead. The Sabres rallied to win 4-2.

Kinsella.”Anderson said after the game. “His name is Brian. How about the game he played? He’s just a kid. He played great. Best he’s been since camp opened.”

John Paddock, a big youngster with a nose as red as Rudolph the Reindeer’s, scored the first Capital goal on a 20-foot slapshot four minutes and 36 seconds into the game against Buffalo. “I didn’t expect it to come on my first shift.” Paddock said. “I was so excited that I almost went into the net after it.”

Jack Egers, the former Ranger and St. Louis Blues winger, ripped a power-play goal from left point that put the Caps up 2-0 in their first game. Egers is determined to regain his scoring touch with this new team.

Anderson has been enthused with the work by the team at training camp. He’s put everyone through two-a-day practices for three weeks even following the first game at St. Catharines.

“The game.” said one of the players, “was our easiest day. We had the rest of the day off.”

What the Capitals obviously cannot afford is injuries to their key personnel and that is exactly what they couldn’t avoid at camp. Greg Joly, the $800,000 first amateur draft pick, pulled up lame the very first week with an achilles tendon strain.

He was forced to miss the first four exhibition games. “Were a much better team with Joly in. “general manager Milt Schmidt said. “He’s the guy we’re relying on to get the puck up the ice by the tough forecheckers in this league.

The second costly injury to the Caps was in that first exhibition when number one expansion pool draft pick Dave Kryskow went down hard and strained ligaments in his left leg. Kryskow, a former Chicago Black Hawk, is one of the players who the Caps need to mix it up on the boards. He was lost for two weeks.

Schmidt and Anderson tackled a number of problems and had little meetings with many of the players. Schmidt, for instance, has been extremely pleased with Mike Bloom, who the club is counting on as a centerman.

Management was upset that No. 2 amateur draft choice Mike Marson reported to camp at 222, 22 pounds overweight. Marson was down to 207 in two weeks but still hadn’t shown enough to stay with the big team this year. At 19 Marson does have time to work up to the NHL.

Dennis Dupere wasn’t sharp at the start of the exhibition games either and Schmidt personally told the ex-Toronto Maple Leaf that he expected more from him.

What pleased the club most was the goaltending work by Ron Low, formerly with Toronto, and Michel Belhumeur. from the Philadelphia Flyers. Low turned back IO shots in a scoreless first period against Buffalo. Belhumeur stopped 15 of 16 in the third period.

“What we need most of all is more games in the NHL.” Schmidt said.

“We got kids who have their first opportunity to play in this league and have something to prove. The more they play the better they’ll get. We played our first exhibitions without benefit of practising a power-play in camp.

“Sure, we made mistakes but overall the effort was there and we were pleased. I don’t know the meaning of the word, can’t, and I don’t want any of the players here to know it either.”

CAPPING IT OFF: Atlanta Flames sent Doug Mohns a special gift — his little red wig box… Season ticket sales in Washington are not up to 10,000 despite earlier requests for 30,000. Club owner Abe Pollin blew an opportunity to cash in on requests by demanding full payment for tickets when they first went on sale. People resented shelling out all the money at once. ■