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 Hunter hangs 'em up Former Washington captain ends elusive chase
Posted: Thursday July 29, 1999 01:22 AM
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Dale Hunter, a defenseman who spent 12 of his 19 NHL seasons with the Washington Capitals, is expected to announce his retirement. The Capitals scheduled a news conference for Thursday involving Hunter, who was expected to move into the club's front office and work with player development. Hunter was the Capitals' captain for several seasons and was one of the club's emotional leaders. Kelly Miller and Michal Pivonka were the only players to have had longer careers with the Capitals. Washington general manager George McPhee traded Hunter to the Colorado Avalanche late last season to give him one final chance to earn the Stanley Cup ring that had eluded him since entering the NHL in the 1980-81 season with the Quebec Nordiques. Colorado was eliminated from the playoffs, the 18th playoff team for which Hunter played that failed to win hockey's top title.
Hunter, who turns 39 Saturday, finished with 323 goals and 697 assists for 1,020 points and 3,565 penalty minutes in 1,407 games. He had 181 goals and 375 assists for 556 points in 872 games for Washington, and racked up 2,003 penalty minutes. The center came to Washington from Quebec on June 13, 1987, with goalie Clint Malarchuk in exchange for Gaetan Duchesne, Alan Haworth and the Capitals' first pick in that year's entry draft.
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