This Date in Caps History - November 24

On November 24, 1981, the Capitals made one of the trades that set the team up as a Patrick Division powerhouse throughout much of the 1980s. The late Roger Crozier was the Caps’ general manager at the time. He shipped defenseman Pat Ribble and Washington’s second pick in the 1983 Entry Draft to the Calgary Flames in exchange for defenseman Randy Holt and winger Bobby Gould.

Holt was a journeyman blueliner who was nearing the end of his career, but the Caps struck gold in Gould. After an excellent collegiate career at the University of New Hampshire, Gould had played in only 20 games with the Flames in his first three pro seasons. With Washington, the native of Petrolia, Ontario (Dale Hunter’s hometown) blossomed into a top defensive forward and one of the Capitals’ most popular players of the 1980s. The durable right wing spent the better part of eight seasons in Washington, appearing in exactly 600 games. He scored 134 goals and 276 points.

As for the Flames’ end of the deal, Ribble played in only 31 games for Calgary. Calgary traded the pick obtained in the deal to Montreal, which selected right wing Todd Francis. Francis never made it to the NHL.