Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Defenseman Tom Poti Inks Two-Year Extension with Capitals

Veteran d-man Tom Poti will be sticking around the nation's capital for a few more years, hoping to erase the memories of last year's playoff debacle (in which he suffered a horrific eye injury and has since made the smart decision to wear a visor) and join his mates in another run for the Cup. The 33-year old, who started his NHL career in with Edmonton, inked a 2-year, $5.75 million dollar extension.

He recorded 24 points (four goals, 20 assists) and 42 penalty minutes in 70 games for the Capitals last season. In addition, he registered four assists and five penalty minutes in six playoff games. The 6’ 3”, 198-pound native of Worcester, Mass., ranked fifth among NHL defensemen and third among team defensemen with a career-high +26 rating during the 2009-10 campaign. He ranked second on the team with 121 blocked shots while averaging 21:24 of ice time.

Poti is also part of a group of professional players who honed their skills in the NCAA prior to making the jump to the big show. As a member of the Boston University hockey team, he earned spots on the NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team (1997), Hockey East First All-Star Team (1998)  and NCAA East First All-American Team (1998).

He is one of the elders on the current Capitals defense corps, which will include youngsters John Carlson and Karl Alzner (dubbed "Carlzner" by the funny folks over at
RMNB).

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