Rod Langway Rod Cory Langway ( born May 3 , 1957 , in Taipei , Taiwan , and raised in Randolph , Massachusetts ) is a former American professional defenceman in the National Hockey League ( NHL ) , elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2002 . Amateur career . Rod Langway was born when his father , an American serviceman , was stationed in Taiwan , and he is the only NHL player to have been born in Taiwan . He grew up in Massachusetts and did not begin playing hockey until age 13 in 1970 , aside from pick - up street hockey games with the neighborhood boys . He then played for his high school team , the Randolph Blue Devils , which he led to state tourney appearances in 1973 and 1975 . Professional career . A left - handed shot , Langway was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens of the NHL in 1977 and by the Birmingham Bulls of the WHA in the same year . He played one season for the Bulls ( 1977 – 78 ) before joining the Canadiens for the 1978 – 79 NHL season , and would win the Stanley Cup that year . He played for Montreal until he was traded to the Washington Capitals for the start of the 1982 – 83 season . The Capitals acquired Langway from the Canadiens in a blockbuster trade — going with Doug Jarvis , Craig Laughlin , and Brian Engblom in exchange for Ryan Walter and Rick Green — that not only saved the franchise from moving out of D . C . , but also stocked them for an extended string of postseason appearances . After not making the playoffs in their first eight seasons in the league , the Capitals competed in the postseason in every one of the 11 years that Langway was with the team . Langway served as the long - time captain of the Capitals , being known as an accomplished leader who demanded greatness from himself and others , and earning the nickname " Secretary of Defense " . Many people considered him the franchise ' s savior . Langway ' s predecessors as Norris Trophy winners were the dominant defensemen of the 1970s , like Bobby Orr , Larry Robinson , and Denis Potvin , who had put up high scoring numbers . By contrast , Langway was a traditional defender whose shot was likened to a " cool summer breeze " . He scored only three goals during one of his best seasons , though he is remembered by Capitals fans for a game – winning goal in overtime against the New York Rangers ' Mike Richter in the 1990 playoffs . Despite his lack of offensive production , his excellence at his position was credited with significantly reducing the Capitals ' goals against average , which enabled them to finally make the playoffs . Langway won the Norris Trophy as the NHL ' s top defenseman in both 1983 and 1984 . He earned two postseason All - Star First Team selections and one Second Team selection as a defenseman — the first American NHL All - Star since Frank Brimsek in 1948 . Langway finished runner - up to Wayne Gretzky for the Hart Trophy in 1982 . He was also part of the NHL All - Star team that played the Soviet national hockey team in Rendez - Vous ' 87 . Upon his retirement from the NHL in 1993 , Langway was the last active player who won a Stanley Cup with the Montreal Canadiens during their late - 70s dynasty . In international hockey , he represented the United States in the 1981 , 1984 , and 1987 Canada Cup as well as the 1982 Ice Hockey World Championship tournaments . Coaching career . Langway served as player - coach for the San Francisco Spiders during their single season as an IHL team in 1995 – 1996 . Langway began his career before helmets were mandatory and was the only member of the Spiders who played without a helmet under a league grandfather clause . Langway was also an assistant coach under Tom McVie with the American Hockey League ' s Providence Bruins during the 1997 - 98 season . He played in ten games that year to assist with on - ice development , during which time he was not granted an exemption to play without a helmet . Providence finished with a mere 19 victories that season , and Langway did not return the following year after McVie was reassigned to be a scout by the Boston organization . During the 2003 – 04 season , Langway coached the Richmond Riverdogs expansion franchise in the United Hockey League to a division championship , and a first - round playoff loss to the Elmira Jackals . Team management did not extend Langway ' s contract after the first season . Awards and accomplishments . Langway ' s jersey number ( # 5 ) was retired by the Capitals on November 26 , 1997 , and he was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 1999 . His career was crowned with his election to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2002 .