Comments on: Reminiscence and Appreciation: Peter the Great

By: BE

BE — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 04:54:36 +0000

great article. a great player.

By: Mellyville9

Mellyville9 — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 21:38:13 +0000

I was a little dissapointed when short term Cap Jeff Friesen was given Bondra’s #12 before changing to #39. Who over looked that one? to me that was like giving away 5 7 and 32 to someone. any chance we see the 12 up there in the future?

By: pepper

pepper — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 21:37:50 +0000

I think its obvious that, had we won the Cup in 1998 (or perhaps even made it a closer series), ESPN would have put Bondra’s tremendous career accomplishments in proper perspective, having still covered the game at that time. I recall its appreciation for him growing as a result of his efforts to come back from injury and get us past Buffalo.
No matter, what’s important is that we all retain great memories of him, and perhaps those memories will be aided by a #12 banner hanging from the rafters.

By: OrderedChaos

OrderedChaos — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 20:36:19 +0000

Bonzai was one of my favorites back in the day. I went so far as to custom-order a purple-and-green Detroit Vipers BONDRA authentic jersey from his brief IHL stint.
At a Meet the Caps event I presented the jersey to be signed, and he immediately started signing… then stopped halfway through, as if he was seeing for the first time what he was signing. He picked up the jersey and looked at it wonderingly: “Where did you find this?” he asked, “I haven’t seen one of these in a really long time.”
“I ordered it from River City Sports and had it customized, after I figured out that your Vipers number was 18 instead of 12,” I replied.
“Very cool!” he enthused, breaking into a big grin, then completed his autograph.
Here’s a guy who, at the time, was the team’s superstar (along with Olie); yet he still displayed a child-like wonder and love of the game both on and off the ice.
I’m thrilled to hear that the team and and player have reconciled any lingering sore spots and are planning to move forward in a mutually positive way.
Bonzai, congratulations on one helluva career!

By: Dean

Dean — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 20:28:13 +0000

Great Article! I was sad to see him go, and glad that he will be a small part of the CAPS future. This is one player that you shouldn’t let get away. I will still like to see him take one shift in one game as a Cap to close out his career.

By: VT Caps Fan

VT Caps Fan — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 17:34:54 +0000

One of those moments I will never forget about Bondra, was when he was traded to Ottawa. The tears running down his face, I still get goosebumps remembering a grown man cry because he got traded. And it wasn’t like it was a shock to anyone. He went from the basement to contenders, most people would be happy, but he was sad. And his first game back to the arena in a Senators sweater was also emotional. I can’t remember the caps fan ever chanting for another player of another team, but we did. And we did it LOUD. “WE WANT BONDRA.”
And when Bondra ran Hasek, didn’t we all feel a bit better about winning that series? He got under his skin.
#12 will always have a place in the rafters of the VC.

By: Gustafsson

Gustafsson — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 16:07:24 +0000

Who can forget that spring in 1998 during the Conference Finals when Hasek skated from his crease with Bondra speeding down the ice and then giving Hasek a slight nudge which threw the poor netminder to the ice. In a fit of rage, Hasek took off his glove and THREW IT AT BONDRA.