The game of hockey, like all sports, is filled with heroes. Most of the time, it is the superstars who have a reputation for coming up clutch. However, we are here to talk about the heroic performances that seem to come from nowhere. An unlikely hero can step up and chip in with a massive, Stanley Cup Playoff series-clinching goal, or maybe it is a season-long performance, the likes of which will never be seen again. These unlikely heroes become a part of hockey history. Today, we bring you our Last Word On Hockey summer series , as we look at the Washington Capitals Unlikely Heroes .
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Some wonder what makes an unlikely hero. It can be a player who comes with a massive improvement out of nowhere. An unlikely hero can step up and chip in with a massive goal or a goaltender shutout that wasn't expected. It can also be a player who steps up and has a season to remember. An unlikely hero can be a player who's a youngster who gives a breakthrough performance. It can also be a star player who gives one last flash of greatness, and considering all those reasons, today's pick is Lars Eller .
The Washington Capitals entered the NHL in 1974 as an expansion team, along with the Kansas City Scouts. Their early years were a struggle, missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs in their first eight seasons. They were finally able to build a core that included Mike Gartner, Rod Langway, Larry Murphy, and Scott Stevens, and had 14 consecutive playoff appearances. While legitimate contenders during that era, that version of the Capitals was never able to hoist the Stanley Cup.
The Caps saw mixed success in the following years until a new core was formed following the drafting of star players Alex Ovechkin , Nicklas Backstrom , Braden Holtby , Evgeny Kuznetsov , and Tom Wilson . It was this core that would eventually lead Washington to their first and only Stanley Cup win in the 2017-18 season.
Eller, a big centreman from Denmark, was drafted by the St. Louis Blues at 13th overall in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft . After his rookie season in St. Louis, he was traded to the Montreal Canadiens as part of the package to acquire Jaroskav Halak. Eller played six seasons for the Habs, never quite satisfying their needs at centre, before being traded to Washington in the 2016 offseason.
It was with the Capitals that Eller seemed to embrace his identity as a reliable 200 foot centre who could provide secondary scoring, but without becoming an offensive force. Where the Habs needed him to claim a top-six centre role, the Caps needed a strong and reliable third-line pivot. That's what Eller delivered. It wasn't exciting, but it was reliable.
Then came the 2017-18 playoffs. The Capitals had a powerhouse season where they won their division, they faced and defeated the Columbus Bluejackets , the Pittsburgh Penguins , and the Tampa Bay Lightning before meeting the Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Final.
It was the best season of Eller's career. His 18 regular season goals were his best, and he added 20 assists. Steady and reliable secondary scoring. Then the playoffs came and Eller came up clutch. In 24 games, Eller scored seven goals and 18 points, while also playing his very best 200-foot game.
The pinnacle came on June 7, 2018, in Game 5 against Vegas. Washington led the series 3-1, and the game was tied at three halfway through the third period. A strong forecheck resulted in a pass back to the point where Brett Connolly got the shot on net. Eller got behind the defender, fought for the loose puck, and fired it home. The goal would become the Stanley Cup winner.
Eller continued his career in Washington for an addition three years and part of a fourth before he was traded to Colorado . He has also played in Pittsburgh and Ottawa . But he has never reached the level of success he experienced during that Stanley Cup run. Likewise, the Caps have had some decent seasons, but have not been able to return to genuine contention.
There are two additional Washington Capitals unlikely heroes from that Stanley Cup run that are honourable mentions.
Devante Smith-Pelly was a second round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft who became an NHL journeyman, playing for the Anaheim Ducks , the Montreal Canadiens, the New Jersey Devils , and the Washington Capitals before finishing his career in the AHL following a season in Russia. The height of his career was definitely that Cup run. After scoring seven goals in the regular season, Smith-Pelly matched that with seven playoff goals. He consistently came up with a clutch goal when the Caps needed one, including the one that tied the game in the Cup winner.
Jay Beagle was also part of that Cup-winning team. The undrafted centre played 646 games with three NHL teams, and was important in Washington's run. Beagle was strong on the penalty kill and dominated in the faceoff circle winning 60% of his draws.
The superstar Ovechkin won the Conn Smythe Trophy that season, and he earned it with his 15 goals and 27 points in 24 playoff games. But he needed help from some unlikely heroes, and Eller, Smith-Pelly and Beagle certainly delivered.
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