Caps Alumni Biographies: Errol Rausse

While regarded as being small for a hockey player, Errol Rausse put up big numbers in his last two seasons of junior hockey with Seattle, of the Western Hockey League. His performance at the World Junior Championship also showed he could play in the more intense competition. The Washington Capitals took Rausse with the 24th pick overall in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft.

The rookie made enough splash at the 1979 Capitals training camp that he was pencilled into the opening night lineup upon the second line with Bengt-Ake Gustafsson and Rolf Edberg. The line accounted for one goal in the 6-3 loss to Buffalo.Rausse was expected to concentrate on his game considering that his housemates were team captain Ryan Walter and fellow rookie Mike Gartner. Even so Errol couldn't help but to express surprise at the NHL game, " The players are so much smarter here than in junior. And (Gil) Perreault is incredible. He made four different moves on one rush." Errol made a move of his own in his second game. He corralled a Guy Charron rebound to score a goal upon Boston goaltender Gerry Cheevers for his first NHL point. In spite of his good start the Capitals were not winning.
On November 14th Washington fired coach Danny Belisle and replaced him with Gary Green. Just days later he had his ticket to Hershey. Rausse was not recalled until March when the Caps were fighting for a playoff spot. The team fell short of its goal. Rausse went back to Hershey and helped the team capture the AHL' s Calder Cup with 14 points in 11 games. Errol was used sparingly over the next two seasons, playing a combined 7 games over that span. At the end of his term with the Capitals he departed for league play in Italy. For ten seasons he starred for HC Alleghe before retiring as an active player in 1994. In 1996 Errol Rausse returned to play for the Capitals alumni team when they took on Team USA. Rausse showed he still had his scoring touch by contributing two goals in the 8-7 loss to the national team.
Player bios courtesy of the Hockey Hall of Fame