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Capitals General Manager Brian MacLellan was mostly unheard of when the Capitals promoted him to his current position in May 2014. While many were unsure of what to expect from the longtime Capitals executive, MacLellan has been nothing but effective since taking over from longtime GM George McPhee, fortifying the Caps’ blueline, Top-six forwards, and adding an effective third-line center in Lars Eller. And in winning the Stanley Cup as a General Manager as well as a player (he won the Cup in 1989 with the Calgary Flames), GMBM has joined some elite company.

Per TSN’s Statscentre, MacLellan becomes just the seventh person to ever win a Stanley Cup as both a player and as a General Manager, joining the likes of Bob Gainey (one as a GM, five as a player), Serge Savard (two as a General Manager, eight as a player), Jack Adams (seven as a GM, two as a player), Art Ross (three as a a GM, two as a player), Lester Patrick (four as a GM, two as a player), and Eddie Gerard (one as a GM, two as a player).

Brian MacLellan has managed the @Capitals to their 1st #StanleyCup after also being a member of the 1st Calgary #Flames team to win it all, making him the 7th to join this NHL list pic.twitter.com/VpJaTGTi5g

— StatsCentre (@StatsCentre) June 8, 2018

While much was made about the personal meaning behind MacLellan’s Capitals and McPhee’s Golden Knights meeting in the Stanley Cup Final, what MacLellan has accomplished appears to have been lost in the fanfare. Under MacLellan’s management, the Capitals have won three Metropolitan Division titles (all in the last three seasons), finished the regular season with 100 or more points, recorded 50 or more wins twice and 40 or more wins the other two times, a Conference Championship, and now a Stanley Cup. While some may have believed promoting MacLellan was a gamble at the time, it has turned out to be nothing but a genius move by Owner Ted Leonsis and Team President Dick Patrick.

By Michael Fleetwood