Former Washington Capitals forward Jack “Smokey” Egers passed away Friday, Sept. 10.
Egers played in Washington’s inaugural season. His first goal with the team was the first game winner in franchise history, in a 4-3 win on October 17, 1974, against the Chicago Black Hawks. The goal was assisted by Yvon Labre and Greg Joly. Of course, that team also set a record for futility with an 8u201167u20115 record.
“We were playing in Boston Garden against Bobby Orr and we were losing, 10-3, with a few moments to play,” Egers, who later because a firefighter in Kitchener, Ontario, told The Washington Post in 1989.