Wolfe, Bernie

Wolfe played goalie for the Washington Capitals in the 1970s during the franchise's first years of existence. He showed flashes of brilliance and was a solid performer on a team that struggled in those early years. A former All-Canadian goalie in college, Bernie was cool under pressure with a poor team in hockey's most difficult position. He played five years for the Caps and appeared in 120 career NHL games.

Birth and Death Dates:
b. Dec. 18, 1951

Career Highlights:
In 1974, Bernie signed as a free agent with the Washington Capitals. It was the Capitals' inaugural season in the NHL and the team performed dreadfully. They lost 67 games that year, including 17 in a row, and 37 in a row on the road! Wolfe spent that 1974-75 season in the minors for 'seasoning,' but he was called up for the 1975-76 season. Bernie appeared in 40 games during his rookie year and had a record of 5-23-7, with a 4.16 GAA. Unfortunately, the Capitals numbers were not much improved from the previous year's debacle. The team finished the season with a record of 11-59-10.

Although there had been talk of disbanding the Capitals after the second season, the team was granted a reprieve, and steadily improved over the next three seasons. During those years, Wolfe remained a solid goalie; the Caps posted 24 wins during the 1976-77 and 1978-79 seasons. Wolfe retired before Washington eventually made it to the playoffs, but he was an important member of the team in the early years of the franchise. He retired after the 1978-79 season at the age of 27, considered one of the best Jewish hockey players of all-time.

Origin:
Montreal, Quebec

Career Dates:
Wolfe played goalie in the NHL for the Washington Capitals, 1975-1979.

Position:
goaltender

Physical description:
5'9", 165 pounds

Career Statistics:
In the NHL:
Games: 120

Wins: 20
Losses: 61
Ties: 21

Goals against: 424
Goals against average: 4.17
Shut outs: 1

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