The-Hogs.net - Washington Football Discussion, Redskins to Commanders Era

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – August 6, 2008

Capitals Sign David Steckel to Contract Extension

ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have signed center David Steckel to a one-year contract extension for the 2009-10 season, vice president and general manager George McPhee announced today. In keeping with club policy, financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Steckel was already under contract with the Capitals for the upcoming season and would have been an unrestricted free agent at the conclusion of 2008-09.

Steckel, 26, completed his fourth professional season and first full NHL campaign in 2007-08. A 6’5”, 222-pound native of Westbend, Wisc., Steckel averaged 13:33 of ice time in 67 games, leading the team and finishing seventh in the NHL with a 56.3% faceoff percentage. Steckel registered 12 points (five goals, seven assists), including his first career NHL goal on Oct. 24 against Tampa Bay.

The former Ohio State Buckeye and 2001 first-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Kings has played 79 career NHL games, all with the Capitals. Steckel joined the Washington organization in 2005 and was a key contributor in the Hershey Bears’ back-to-back Eastern Conference championships in the American Hockey League and the 2006 Calder Cup title. Steckel was a 30-goal scorer for the Bears in 2006-07, playing for current Capitals head coach Bruce Boudreau.

David Steckel
Center
Ht.: 6’5” Wt.: 222 Shoots: Left
Born: March 15, 1982 (Westbend, Wisconsin)
Drafted: Los Angeles’ first-round choice, 30th overall, in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft
Acquired: Signed as a free agent, August 25, 2005

Steckel averaged 13:33 of ice time in 67 games, leading the team and finishing seventh in the NHL with a 56.3% faceoff percentage. Steckel registered 12 points (five goals, seven assists), including his first career NHL goal on Oct. 24 against Tampa Bay.

BossHog wrote:

Steckel averaged 13:33 of ice time in 67 games, leading the team and finishing seventh in the NHL with a 56.3% faceoff percentage. Steckel registered 12 points (five goals, seven assists), including his first career NHL goal on Oct. 24 against Tampa Bay.

The highlighted part is the big reason IMO. When you can win almost 60% of your faceoffs, as long as you can skate, you'll always be in the market for an NHL job.

GSPODS wrote:Agreed. That's one of the biggest pluses with Sergei Federov. Winning draws, especially on the penalty kill and the power play is valuable beyond descriptions. Having two excellent face-off men is great. I'm not even sure you have to be able to skate if you can win 60% of your face-offs. Remember Al Iafrate?

Sir_Monk wrote:I remember Iafrate coming close to winning the fastest skater competition at the all-star game a few times.

After a lethargic first half in 1990-91, Iafrate was traded to the Washington Capitals where he began to reclaim his confidence. He set career bests with 25 goals and 66 points in 1992-93 and was named to the NHL Second all-star team. Iafrate's goal total was second highest among NHL blueliners that year. He also played in the NHL All-Star Game and won the hardest shot event at the Skills Competition by unleashing as 105.2 mph blast.

GSPODS wrote:I think you might mean the hardest slapshot, which Al did win. I think he still holds the record at something like 105 MPH. I'll look it up. Al was never going to win the fastest anything award with the Caps.

He worked his way back with the Capitals, and in 1992-93, he posted a career-best 25 goals. He also won the Capitals’ hardest-shot competition – as well as the club’s fastest-skater contest – and went to the 1993 All-Star Game in Montreal and rang out his record blast.

GSPODS wrote:I think BH is forgetting Al Iafrate played for the Caps toward the end of his career, when he did take face-offs in certain situations but didn't do much else.

After a lethargic first half in 1990-91, Iafrate was traded to the Washington Capitals where he began to reclaim his confidence. He set career bests with 25 goals and 66 points in 1992-93 and was named to the NHL Second all-star team. Iafrate's goal total was second highest among NHL blueliners that year. He also played in the NHL All-Star Game and won the hardest shot event at the Skills Competition by unleashing as 105.2 mph blast.

http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/Leg ... ayer=10698

Albert (I'll bet only his mother ever called him that) did start his career as a very fast forward, but by the time he got to Washington he was playing defense. It's wasy to forget he played both positions, especially since he was huge for any player at the time and looked like he could only have ever been a defenseman.

Rated in The Hockey News draft preview issue as No. 3 defense prospect for the 1984 NHL draft.

BossHog wrote:

GSPODS wrote:Agreed. That's one of the biggest pluses with Sergei Federov. Winning draws, especially on the penalty kill and the power play is valuable beyond descriptions. Having two excellent face-off men is great. I'm not even sure you have to be able to skate if you can win 60% of your face-offs. Remember Al Iafrate?

Yeah.

Iafrate was a stay-at-home defenseman who probably never took a draw in his life, what does that have to do with it?

And he was actually a very good skater, not all that graceful maybe, but a very strong puck mover nonetheless.

So I really have no idea what your point was.

Interesting or not-so-interesting tidbit - if Gary Leeman hadn't fooled around with Al's wife, he might have stayed a Leaf forever - it was an ugly publicity incident.

GSPODS wrote:[The connection I was trying to make was that after Iafrate's knee injury, all he did was fire shots from the blue line, but he was so good at it that it kept him employed for another decade. One critical skill element is enough sometimes. In Steckel's case, face-offs.

This is turning into a landslide, maybe you should consider the fact that I've likely forgotten more about hockey than you could possibly hope to learn.

BossHog wrote:What... do you think that if you type it with conviction that it makes you more correct? (It doesn't)

GSPODS wrote:I think you might mean the hardest slapshot, which Al did win. I think he still holds the record at something like 105 MPH. I'll look it up. Al was never going to win the fastest anything award with the Caps.

See now if you had actually looked it up, you'd have found something like his:

He worked his way back with the Capitals, and in 1992-93, he posted a career-best 25 goals. He also won the Capitals’ hardest-shot competition – as well as the club’s fastest-skater contest – and went to the 1993 All-Star Game in Montreal and rang out his record blast.

The bolded selection would be the part that categorically proves you wrong, and I trust that NHL.com will be a believable enough source.

http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app/?service=pag ... eid=350475

GSPODS wrote:I think BH is forgetting Al Iafrate played for the Caps toward the end of his career, when he did take face-offs in certain situations but didn't do much else.

After a lethargic first half in 1990-91, Iafrate was traded to the Washington Capitals where he began to reclaim his confidence. He set career bests with 25 goals and 66 points in 1992-93 and was named to the NHL Second all-star team. Iafrate's goal total was second highest among NHL blueliners that year. He also played in the NHL All-Star Game and won the hardest shot event at the Skills Competition by unleashing as 105.2 mph blast.

http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/Leg ... ayer=10698

Albert (I'll bet only his mother ever called him that) did start his career as a very fast forward, but by the time he got to Washington he was playing defense. It's wasy to forget he played both positions, especially since he was huge for any player at the time and looked like he could only have ever been a defenseman.

I didn't forget that Iafrate went to Washington - what does that have to do with it? I don't see anything in the quote about taking faceoffs - which is what this is all about.

He didn't play forward - I mean he played for the Leafs - are you kidding me - are you actually doubting me on this? I actually remember him being drafted and how the big knock on him was his lack of defensive prowess... but he was definitely drafted by the Leafs as and to be a defenseman.

Rated in The Hockey News draft preview issue as No. 3 defense prospect for the 1984 NHL draft.

http://www.hockeydraftcentral.com/1984/84004.html

I honestly don't know where the faceoff thig is coming from, but I can't say as I watched every game he played in Washington to know that he categorically didn't.

He NEVER did in Toronto I can tell you that.

And I personally think that you've mistaken him for someone else in the faceoff respect...

I may very well have the wrong player. I'm on so many prescription drugs right now I probably have the wrong name, and I'm lucky I still have the right sport. I'm sure I had a point at one time but I'll be damned if I know what it was. Somehow, I doubt it had anything to do with Al Iafrate.

I should have left it at good. They re-signed Steckel.