

Dale Hunter displaying his turtleneck in the 1989-90 Capitals media guide.

Media guides are incredibly useful for when you need to know things like the last time the Caps scored five goals against the Isles, or a list of every player to wear the number 16.

They’re also delightful to look through 25 years after publication, it turns out, especially when they feature full-page photos of every single player on the 1988-89 and 1989-90 Capitals rosters wearing a turtleneck.

I want to share this joy with you. Below are some of the things I found flipping through a stack of Caps media guides from the ’80s and ’90s. (There are two boxes full of these things under a rumpled suit jacket next to Dan Steinberg’s desk, so stay tuned for Redskins and Bullets discoveries.)

* Turtlenecks on turtlenecks on turtlenecks. First introduced in the 1988-89 media guide, the turtlenecks were apparently such a hit that they returned for an encore in 1989-90. This called for a gif:

* D.C. glamour shots. Long before there was Bryce Harper in uniform at the Lincoln Memorial, there was Al Iafrate in short-shorts at the Inner Harbor for the 1993-94 media guide:



(1993-94 Capitals media guide)

From Iafrate’s bio that season: He is single, enjoys old cars, motorcycles and golf, his favorite actor is Robert De Niro and his favorite band is Skid Row. He is a distant cousin of Dino Ciccarelli.

A few more glamour shots from the ’93-94 guide:



Don Beaupre at the Capitol (1993-94 Capitals media guide)



Craig Berube at the Canadian Embassy (1993-94 Capitals media guide)



Peter Bondra at Camden Yards (1993-94 Capitals media guide)



Calle Johansson at the Inner Harbor (1993-94 Capitals media guide)



Kevin Hatcher at the Baltimore Aquarium (1993-94 Capitals media guide)



Dale Hunter at Rosecroft Raceway (1993-94 Capitals media guide)



Keith Jones at the Jefferson Memorial (1993-94 Capitals media guide)



Steve Konowalchuk at the Naval Academy (1993-94 Capitals media guide)



Alan May at the Lincoln Memorial (1993-94 Capitals media guide)

* Waterskiing was a thing. Five Capitals (Chris Felix, Alan May, Calle Johansson, Scot Kleinendorst, Stephen Leach) listed it as a hobby in the 1989 media guide.

* Smokin’ Al Koken in 1989:



(1989 Capitals media guide)

* Olie Kolzig in 1990:



(Capitals media guide)

Update: Alan May is the best.