After Winnipeg took Dave Babych and the Kings selected Larry Murphy, the Caps made it three defensemen in the top five by tabbing Darren Veitch. Veitch's career would last less than half as long as those of Babych and Murphy, however. The Caps traded away their second round pick in the deal that brought netminder Mike Palmateer to DC.
Of the rest of the Caps 1980 picks, third-rounder Torrie Robertson went on to enjoy the most success at the NHL level. He was dealt to the Whalers where he served as the team's chief of police for several seasons.
Hindsight is 20/20: As much as they still needed defensemen in 1980, the Caps would have been better off passing on a blueliner once Babych and Murphy were off the table. A pair of rugged centers went in the first round -- Mike Bullard to the Penguins and Brent Sutter to the Islanders -- and both could have helped the Capital cause. By the time the Caps got around to making their next pick, stalwart backliner Craig Ludwig was still available. And think of the fun we could have had watching either Jari Kurri or Bernie "The Pumper" Nicholls had the Caps taken either of those two players instead of Robertson. Late round steals included Aaron Broten (106th overall), Steve Larmer (120th), Brian Mullen (128th), Andy Moog (132nd), Doug Lidster (133rd) and Randy Cunneyworth (167th). The Oilers added two more pieces to the puzzle that would become a dynasty of the '80s when they nabbed Kurri and Moog.
Full Draft Results Here
