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Capitals hire Michael Peca, a two-time Selke winner, as player development coach

By Ian Oland

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February 10, 2021 12:57 pm

The Washington Capitals announced a new addition to their coaching staff on Wednesday.

Brian MacLellan has hired Michael Peca, a two-time Selke-winning forward (1997, 2002), as a player development coach. According to the Capitals, Peca will work primarily with players on the taxi squad.

Peca, who lives with his wife and two children in Getzville, NY, was the general manager and director of hockey operations for the Ontario Junior Hockey League’s Buffalo Jr. Sabres (a Junior A hockey team owned by the Buffalo Sabres).

Peca first started with the Jr. Sabres as a head coach in 2012 two years after officially retiring from the NHL as a player. Peca earned OJHL Coach of the Year honors in 2013 before transitioning into a front-office role with the club.

Peca, nicknamed “Captain Crunch” due to his bone-crushing and sometimes questionable open-ice hits, played 13 seasons in the NHL.

Peca scored 176 goals and 465 points in 864 NHL games with six different teams: Vancouver, Buffalo, New York Islanders, Edmonton, Toronto, and Columbus. Peca was best known for his time with the Sabres, who he captained to the Stanley Cup Final in 1999. His best season was in 2001-02 was with the New York Islanders under Peter Laviolette where he scored 25 goals and tallied 60 points in 80 games, earning Hart Trophy consideration.

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