Pictured to the right is the best save of the 2009 playoffs and probably the best save a Capital has ever made.
Semyon Varlamov robbed “The Kid” Crosby and saved the game. He may have even “turned the worm” for the snake-bit franchise.
I do not believe that the Capitals have ever had the hot goalie. They have the hot goalie now.
Often, in playoffs past, it was the opposition goalie that turned in the best performance of a lifetime. In fact it was expected, just as the performance of King Henry was a foregone conclusion of the first playoff series.
Except that when it came time to win, the Capitals solved King Henry and Varly became the star.
What a sweet turnaround for the Capitals and their long-suffering fans. A win in this series versus the Penguins and it would be the furthest advancement in the playoffs for a DC professional team since the 1998 season when the Caps went to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Here is a list of goalies that come to mind over the past 15 to 20 years for the Capitals:
This year
Michal Neuvirth—Hershey Bears/Wash Caps
Jose Theodore
Brent Johnson
Simeon Varlamov
Last Year
Christobal Huet
Olaf Kolzig
Favorites
Mike Liut
Pete Peeters
Rick Tabaracci
Byron Dafoe
Some Others that Might Ring A Bell (or hit a post)
Bernie Wolfe
Maxime Ouellet (recent)
Clint Malarchuk
Al Jensen
Jim Carey
Donnie Beaupre
Craig Billington
Jim Hrivnak
Pat Riggin