This piece was originally published in The Hockey News Vol. 30, Issue 29, on April 22, 1977.
BY RON WEBER
WASHINGTON — Four in a row.
That may not seem like a lot to a pro bowler, a skeet shooter or the Montreal Canadiens. But for Washington Capital fans it is something to cherish, if not forever, at least through the long, hot summer.
Until this season the Caps were incapable of winning in succession at all. Then, in early November they followed a victorious hosting of the North Stars with a conking of the Canucks. Two straight!
Moreover, they journeyed to New York and, playing for the third time in four nights, outscored the Rangers. It stopped there, though, the Caps squandering a 2-0 lead over Chicago in the following game.
Late in January the Caps improved that by half a game, so to speak, beating the Blues twice around a triumph over Detroit. The half? They tied the Flyers in the next contest.
But four fully favorable scores had to wait another two months.
The Capitals began the windy month of March like a lamb, winning only one of their first seven games. Two of the losses were to Los Angeles, and with that went their slim hopes of making the playoffs.
Then on March 18 the D.C. icemen began their transformation into lions by tumbling the Rockies 5-0. They misplaced their roar against Buffalo two days later, but that was the last game in March they didn’t win.
First it was the Rangers, coached by Tom McVie’s old buddy, John Ferguson. A five-goal second period dispatched the New Yorkers handily, 7-2. Two nights later the Caps rolled the same number for themselves in beating a better team, Toronto, 7-4, for the most Washington goals in two consecutive games.
More offensive fireworks made it the most in three as they didn’t need the extra point in walloping their third straight visitor, Detroit, by 6-1. The 20-goal splurge in the three games assured the Capitals of finishing over the .500 mark for home games and brought them within hailing distance of surpassing last year’s 224 mark for total goals—a figure considered virtually out of reach just a week before.
But, as chronicled in this corner several weeks ago, tis much easier to win at home, and the longest and most succesful stand at Capital Centre (4-2) was over with the Red Wing game.
The call of the road came from Pittsburgh, where the Penguins figured to benefit from history. While they had beaten the Caps last time there, they could remember the final Saturday of last season when an upset by Washington cost the Pens home-ice advantage for the opening round of the playoffs—and contributed to their early exit from the Stanley Cup chase.
Surely, the Penguins would be ready.
If they were, the Caps were more so.
D.C. lost the early lead provided by Bob Sirois’ tip-in, let Pierre Larouche and Rick Kehoe provide the Pens a 3-1 advantage, and roared back.
The first bite into the Penguins' lead: goals and 15 shots between them. Newsy had three assists and four plusses—and missed a fifth plus because he had just stepped off the ice when Ace scored…Collins and Gerry Meehan were among those who voiced their displeasure over the initial selections for the Canadian team that competes for the world title in Vienna. Meehan, solid all year and outstanding since January, was quoted as saying he’d refuse to go if added as a fill-in. Collins cited the choices as typical NHL politicking.
They did seem a bit curious, containing nine Barons and only Charron from Washington…In the three home wins in a row, Capitals fans could have left early, assured of a win, but not many did. They had waited too long to miss counting down the final seconds of those three and five-goal victory margins.
With one game to go, their number averaged 10,820—up over 1,100 from last year. That is the biggest increase in the league.