Peter Bondra choked up twice while talking about his trade to the Ottawa Senators. Not even the prospect of playing for a Stanley Cup contender could ease the trauma of a sudden goodbye after 14 years with the Washington Capitals.
"I grew up here. I grew up as a player. I grew up as a person," Bondra said in an emotional farewell appearance Wednesday in the Capitals locker room. "I have to understand that I have to move on."
Bondra became the latest victim of the Capitals' salary purge. The franchise's all-time leading scorer is heading north, giving the Senators another potent offensive threat in their drive toward the Stanley Cup playoffs.
PHOTO: EPA
The Capitals received prospect center Brooks Laich and a 2005 second-round pick for the fan favorite who had spent his entire NHL career in Washington.
"We're supposed to be big, tough guys, but there were a lot of tears this morning," general manager George McPhee said. "We thought it was best for Peter. We worked harder to find the best place for him to play. Peter didn't want to leave. This wasn't something management and ownership wanted to do. We thought it was good for Peter and good for us."
Unaware that something was up, Bondra showed up for practice Wednesday morning with his two children, who had the day off from school. Then Bondra noticed McPhee at the rink.
"I never see George that early," Bondra said. He said he then instinctively turned to his kids and said: "This is it. This is my last day here."
"When George told me, I was so shocked and, like, my stomach had butterflies," Bondra said. "It was almost emotionally a breakdown. It was tough ... I was here for 14 years, and all of sudden it's gone."
The money-losing, last-place Capitals have been trying all season to trim payroll and start rebuilding. Captain Steve Konowalchuk was sent to Colorado in October, and Jaromir Jagr went to the New York Rangers last month.
Goaltender Olaf Kolzig, defenseman Sergei Gonchar or center Robert Lang could be next, but no one has represented the Capitals over the past decade like Bondra.
"When you say Washington Capitals, the first thing you think is Peter Bondra," Kolzig said.
Bondra said all the right things about Ottawa, but it was clear his heart had not yet accepted the trade. He will join the Senators for Thursday's home game against Atlanta, but the Slovak native's family will stay in the Washington area.
"I still don't believe it," Bondra said.
Ottawa moved into a first-place tie with Toronto in the Northeast Division with a 1-1 tie last night at Washington. Already the NHL's top-scoring team with 196 goals, the Senators now have added the player who trails only Brett Hull, Jagr and Brendan Shanahan in goals scored among active players since 1990.
A five-time NHL All-Star, Bondra has 21 goals and 14 assists in 54 games this season, including four game-winning goals. The Senators are now the only team in the NHL with 10 players who have scored 10 or more goals this season.
"Peter Bondra deserves a chance to compete for a Stanley Cup," Capitals owner Ted Leonsis said. "I know what he means to our fan base, but allowing him the opportunity to win a Cup is important. This was a difficult trade."
Bondra, who turned 36 this month, leaves the Capitals as the franchise's career leader in goals (472), points (825), power-play goals (137), game-winning goals (73), short-handed goals (32) and hat tricks (19). Had he finished the season with the Caps, he would have become the leader in games played, passing Calle Johansson.
"If Peter was 26, we wouldn't have done it," McPhee said. "He's sort of on the back nine at 36."
Bondra is in the third year of a four-year US$18 million contract, and the final year is an option year. He will become a free agent this summer and could be re-signed by the Capitals if the Senators decide not to keep him, but Ottawa general manager John Muckler said he intends to exercise the option.
"He is not a rental," Muckler said.
Islanders 4, Penguins 3
Mariusz Czerkawski scored a pair of power-play goals, and Garth Snow stopped 18 shots as the New York Islanders held on for a 4-3 victory over Pittsburgh on Wednesday night that sent the Penguins to their 16th straight loss.
"I just try to concentrate and stay positive," Czerkawski said. "Every shift is challenging."
Roman Hamrlik and Kenny Jonsson also scored for the Islanders, 20-8-2 at home.
Tomas Surovy, Ric Jackman and Milan Kraft scored for the Penguins, who haven't won since Jan. 12. Since then, Pittsburgh is 0-15-0-1. Andy Chiodo made 30 saves in his first NHL start.
"I was so entrenched in the moment, I didn't have time to be that nervous," Chiodo said. "It was pretty exciting the first time I was standing on that ice. I'll never forget that moment."
Panthers 1, Sabres 1
In Buffalo, New York, Roberto Luongo stopped 41 shots, allowing Florida to rally for a tie with Buffalo.
Tough guy Eric Boulton snapped a 54-game scoring slump, scoring for Buffalo, which had a four-game winning streak end. The Sabres, however, are 8-1-1 in their last 10 games, and are within three points of Montreal in the race for the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Luongo, fourth in the NHL with a 93.1 save percentage, was particularly sharp in the second period when he stopped all 22 shots.
Red Wings 5, Coyotes 2
In Detroit, Brett Hull tied Dave Andreychuk's NHL record with his 263rd career power-play goal and Kris Draper scored twice to lead Detroit over Phoenix.
Phoenix's Chris Gratton had a goal, then Detroit's Mathieu Schneider scored before Fredrik Sjostrom got the Coyotes within 3-2.
Draper gave Detroit another two-goal cushion with 1:50 left. Draper added an empty-netter a minute later for his 23rd goal of the season.
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