This piece was originally published in The Hockey News magazine, vol. 52, issue 21, on Feb. 25, 1999
BY DAVE FAY
One of Steve Konowalchuk’s Washington teammates was asked to describe the left winger. There was a thoughtful pause before the response.
“He doesn’t take any nights off, I’ll tell you that,” the veteran said. “I wish I could make the same claim.”
Coach Ron Wilson seconds the motion.
“He’s like a lightning rod on our team for hard work,” Wilson said. “I know he’s not going to have a bad night. He might not score, but he’s going out, finish his checks, win battles in the corners, play with determination, block shots, does whatever it takes.”
On Jan. 18, Konowalchuk played in his 400th NHL game, which satisfied one of the goals he set for himself years ago.
“Yeah, it feels good, but once you get it doesn’t feel good enough, you want more,” the 26-year-old said. “I didn’t set many goals when I came in, I didn’t know what my role was going to be. I just wanted to make the team, then do what-ever it took to help it win.”
The Salt Lake City, Utah native broke into the NHL in 1991 after the Caps drafted him in the third round (58th overall) of the 1991 entry draft.
His only major disappointment since joining the Capitals is missing last season’s Stanley Cup run when he was sidelined with injuries.
He has been compared to former NHLer Dave Poulin because of his work ethic and tenacity, the way he becomes visibly upset when the opposition scores when he is on the ice.
“I still like to think I can contribute more offensively so I want to improve in that area,” Konowalchuk said. “But I play hard and I always focus on defense. I get a bad feeling when the other team scores when I’m on the ice. I have a fear of that happening and I think that motivates me to play hard.
“I probably hate that feeling-being scored on-more than I enjoy the feeling I get when I score. When you screw up on a goal, you feel like you let your whole team down.”