Mike Marson honored by Capitals

WASHINGTON -- Former NHL player Mike Marson, the second black player in the League and first to play for the Washington Capitals,
was honored with a video tribute when he attended the Washington Capitals game
against the St. Louis Blues on Saturday.
Marson, who was recently featured in the documentary film "Soul on Ice: Past, Present & Future," played 193 games for the Capitals in their early days as an expansion team from 1974-79. He played three games for the Los Angeles Kings in 1979-80 before his NHL career ended.

"He was phenomenally fast," Paul Mulvey, who met Marson at his Capitals training camp in 1978-81, said. "I think it would be a good battle of speed races here for Mike and Jason [Chimera]."
Marson said he was honored to be recognized by the Capitals organization. He received a standing ovation from the fans.
"Everybody was looking at me and clapping their hands -- jubilation," Marson told Comcast Sportsnet after the tribute.
Marson was drafted by the Capitals in the second round (No. 19) of the 1974 NHL Draft and scored 16 goals in his first NHL season as a 19-year-old on one of the worst teams in League history -- the 1974-75 Capitals, who had an 8-67-5 record.
"He could punch people but he could also skate like the wind," Ron Weber, the Capitals play-by-play announcer from 1974-97, said.