NEW JERSEY VS. CAROLINA OTTAWA VS. TORONTO WASHINGTON VS. PITTSBURGH PHILADELPHIA VS. BUFFALO COLORADO VS. VANCOUVER DETROIT VS. LOS ANGELES DALLAS VS. EDMONTON ST. LOUIS VS. SAN JOSE

Thursday, April 26 Owner's support changes Bondra's mind Brian A. Shactman ESPN.com WASHINGTON -- It's not supposed to be this way in today's era of greed and me-first sensibilities. Usually, when a player asks to be traded, he's viewed as a villain and, sooner rather than later, his wishes are granted. More often than not, it's about money, and rarely does that player earn -- and get an opportunity for -- on-the-field (or ice) redemption. Peter Bondra's situation was different -- and so, perhaps, are the Washington Capitals. Bondra's two goals against the Penguins are Washington's only goals this postseason through two games. Bondra entered this season demanding to be traded. Convinced he couldn't score goals and thrive in coach Ron Wilson's conservative system, Bondra wanted out. He was coming off a terrible season, where he had knee trouble and had just 38 points (21-17-38) in 62 games -- the worst totals since his rookie season. "I used to come to the games, and he was scoring 50 goals all the time," said owner Ted Leonsis. "I buy the team, and he has a bad year. When he said he wanted to be traded, I met with him and I said, 'I don't want to.' He said, 'Please trade me. My agent wants me traded.'" To Bondra's credit, he promised Capitals management he'd apply himself as best he could in order for them to receive as much as they could in return for him. But a funny thing happened while standing on the trading block: Bondra rediscovered his scoring touch. Instead of being traded, he signed a four-year extension worth $18 million just prior to the All-Star break and finished the regular season with 45 goals, including a league-leading 22 on the power play. So far, he has accounted for 100 percent of the Capitals' offense (two goals) in their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series against Pittsburgh, which the Penguins lead 2-1 heading into Wednesday's Game 4. How was such a change of heart possible? "Every game, I'd walk in and I'd say, 'How are you doing. I really need you to stay.' I told him, 'Look, just open the door and show a little bit of opportunity and I'll jump to that,'" Leonsis said. According to Bondra, it was Leonsis' support which helped change his mind. "He was always behind me," Bondra said. "Whatever I requested, whatever I asked for, Ted always was there. He would say, 'Whatever I can do, let me know and I will do it.' It feels good to have that kind ownership behind you." When an opportunity presented itself -- courtesy of an interview Bondra gave -- Leonsis proved true to his word. "He said he was having a good year and liked it here and maybe he'll stay," Leonsis said. "So, I called him -- and I've never got involved in any player stuff -- and George (GM George McPhee) and I took him and his agent to dinner. And then it was kind of storybook, the day we announced his signing, he gets a hat trick." On Thursday, Feb. 1, Bondra signed his deal and netted three goals in a 5-4 win over Toronto, completing the story with an unlikely happy ending. "It feels great. It was a challenging situation because I created a situation here for myself," Bondra said. "I've always felt good about being here. In my heart, it was a tough decision (to ask for a trade). I was happy George didn't trade me, and that everything worked well." " We have a good rapport, and the fans love him. The way you build tradition is by keeping your players, and a world of sports that's kind of broken, it was a good news story. " -- Caps owner Ted Leonsis on Bondra's relationship with him and with Caps fans. Fortunately for the Caps, it did work out well. McPhee had the unenviable task of trying to trade his most talented goal scorer -- and arguably one of the city's most popular hockey players -- while continuing to build a winning team. Although he knew Bondra was unhappy, McPhee held firm and didn't accept any less-than-market-value deals for him. "That's basically how we felt. But I wasn't going to give him away, either," McPhee said last fall. "We did everything we could to be patient and wait for the right deal, and the right deal wasn't there. Then, when he started to play well, we didn't really take him off the market, (but) I hadn't made all the calls and didn't receive any offers of interest. "But yeah, it was close." Few people know how close Bondra was to switching teams. But never in the midst of the uncomfortable situation did anyone -- from Leonsis to Bondra -- close the door on him staying. No insults were tossed in the papers. No hardball was played in the front office. And Bondra played his hardest every night, even though he didn't want to play with the Capitals. "We just had a meeting with him at the beginning of the season and told him that until a trade he had to play hard -- and he did," McPhee said. While Bondra learned he can play in any system, Leonsis overcame the first major personnel problem of his ownership tenure. Retaining Bondra could prove to be the linchpin in Leonsis' efforts to build the Capitals' tradition. "Look, I have a really big ego, but when it comes to winning, I'm pretty selfless, and he's a great player," Leonsis said. "He's so connected to the community, and he's a good man. So, I honestly wanted to make it a good news story, turn something bad into good." Brian A. Shactman covers the NHL for ESPN.com. He can be reached at brian.shactman@espn.com. Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories

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