By Earl Seitz

Former Capitals captain Guy Charron reflects on Washington’s Stanley Cup win

Jun 8, 2018 | 2:50 PM

KAMLOOPS — After 43 years of climbing the mountain, falling into many a crevass on the way up, only to climb back out and start over, the Washington Capitals finally reached the peak last night.

The Capitals are Stanley Cup champions for the first time in their history – becoming the 24th team to win hockey’s holy grail.

For one Kamloops resident, a former coach of the Blazers, it was watching the team that he once played for, finally win.

Guy Charron played 12 seasons in the NHL.

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While winning a Stanley Cup was something he never got to celebrate, watching Washington last night, finally clear the hurdle, was special.

“I’m really happy for them, ” Charron tells CFJC Today.  “And I’m proud to have been a Capital.”
 
320 of Charron’s 734 NHL games were with the Capitals, where he spent the last five seasons of his career.

With Washington in its early years as an expansion team, the Capitals never made the playoffs during his time with the team   —  some of that as the captain of the Capitals.  With that in mind, Charron says it’s good to see Alex Ovechkin finally be able to win.

‘It was more the feeling of what Ovechkin was really feeling,” says Charron.  “Because for a lot of years people were saying ‘he can’t win’, or ‘he doesn’t know how to win.’  My feeling was more towards him. I’m glad that they finally reached their goal as an organization.”

There was another highlight moment for Guy Charron  — when the commentators brought up his name in reflecting on the history of the Capitals and how tough it is to build to Stanley Cup champions.

“For them to bring the attention to those who were at the beginning of the organization,” says Charron, “It hit me emotionally.  We were happy to be there, but to say that someone would remember some of the individual success we had with the organization, when we were at the beginning, it was very special.
To be associated with the Capitals at a time when they have reached their highest success … it was special.”

Charron had the best seasons of his NHL career with Washington – scoring 36, 38 and 28 goals in his first three seasons.

As for the future of the Washington Capitals, and being able to build one Stanley Cup championship into a dynasty – todays NHL is very different in this era of free agency and salary caps.

“For a team to have repeated two years as Pittsburgh did, and Chicago  – that’s a dynasty in itself.”