The Washington Capitals, colloquially known as the Caps, are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The Capitals compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference.
The NHL awarded an expansion franchise to the city of Washington on June 8, 1972, and the Capitals joined the NHL as an expansion team for the 1974-75 season along with the Kansas City Scouts. The Capitals were owned by Abe Pollin (also owner of the National Basketball Association's Washington Bullets/Wizards). Pollin had built the Capital Centre in suburban Landover, Maryland, to house both the Bullets (who formerly played in Baltimore) and the Capitals.
Washington Capitals logo
Early Struggles and Inauspicious Beginnings
With a combined 30 teams between the NHL and the World Hockey Association (WHA), the available talent was stretched thin. The Capitals' inaugural season in 1974-75 set records for the NHL. They finished with the worst record in the league at 8-67-5; their 21 points were half that of their expansion brethren, the Scouts.
The eight wins are the fewest for an NHL team playing at least 70 games, and the .131 winning percentage is still the worst in NHL history. They also set records for most road losses (39 out of 40), most consecutive road losses (37), and most consecutive losses (17). Head coach Jim Anderson said, "I'd rather find out my wife was cheating on me than keep losing like this. At least I could tell my wife to cut it out." Anderson was fired 54 games into the season and replaced by head scout Red Sullivan.
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On March 28, 1975, the Capitals were 0-37 on the road. The Capitals won each of the two games in Sapporo, 5-2 and 6-2. After a day of travel, they were back at it in Tokyo with the Caps taking game three 6-2. The Capitals won each of the two games in Sapporo, 5-2 and 6-2. After a day of travel, they were back at it in Tokyo with the Caps taking game three 6-2. The trip was a huge success for the Capitals.
The Capitals faced the New York Islanders before finally beating them on April 1, 1979. The team's first season was a disaster. The Capitals finished with a record of 8-67-5 and a .131 winning percentage, the worst in NHL history.
The Turning Point: The 1980s
In August 1982, the team hired David Poile as general manager. As his first move, Poile pulled off one of the largest trades in franchise history on September 9, 1982, when he dealt captain Ryan Walter and Rick Green to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Rod Langway (named captain only a few weeks later), Brian Engblom, Doug Jarvis and Craig Laughlin.
Another significant move was the drafting of defenseman Scott Stevens during the 1982 NHL entry draft. The result of both acquisitions helped the team get a third-place finish in the Patrick Division, which resulted in their first playoff appearance.
In the 1983-84 offseason, the Capitals traded a first-round draft pick for Dave Christian. They also traded Dennis Maruk to the Minnesota North Stars for a second-round draft pick. The regular season had the Capitals gain over 100 points for the first time in their history.
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The Capitals also made a trade with the Los Angeles Kings sending Engblom and Ken Houston for Larry Murphy. They also made it to the second round of the playoffs, after defeating the Philadelphia Flyers in a three-game sweep.
The 1986-87 season saw the team trade Bobby Carpenter and a second-round draft pick for Bob Crawford, Kelly Miller, and Mike Ridley. However, the season ended with a loss to the Islanders in the division semifinals. The Capitals had a 3-1 series lead, but the Islanders came back to force game seven which would be known as the Easter Epic.
The 1990s: Conference Finals and Coaching Changes
In the 1989-90 season, Bryan Murray was fired and replaced by his brother, the assistant coach, Terry Murray. As they approached the deadline, the Capitals acquired goaltender Mike Liut who assisted in their playoff push.
The Capitals finally made the conference finals in 1990, but went down in a four-game sweep at the hands of the first-place Boston Bruins. The next two seasons were undone by the Pittsburgh Penguins who defeated Washington both seasons in the playoffs. It included a series where the Capitals had a 3-1 series lead in 1992 only to lose the next three games and the series.
Their final season with Langway did not end well for himself nor the Capitals. He was limited to 21 games in the 1992-93 season due to a torn cartilage injury. In the playoffs, they lost in six games to the Islanders in the division semifinals. In game six of the series, Dale Hunter hit Pierre Turgeon after Turgeon scored the 6-1 goal for the Islanders.
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At the 1993 draft, Craig Berube was acquired from the Calgary Flames in return for a fifth-round draft pick. In 1993-94, the Capitals struggled throughout the first half of the season which culminated in Terry Murray's dismissal as head coach and Jim Schoenfeld announced as his replacement.
Approaching the trade deadline, the Capitals acquired Joe Juneau. Although the Capitals defeated the Penguins in the conference quarterfinals, they were defeated in five games by the Rangers in the conference semifinals. At the 1994 NHL entry draft, Mike Ridley was traded along with a first-round pick for Rob Pearson and the tenth overall pick, which was used to select Nolan Baumgartner.
However, their rival, the Penguins, would defeat them in the first round of both the 1995 and 1996 playoffs.
The Jaromir Jagr Era and Beyond
In the summer of 2001, the Capitals landed five-time Art Ross Trophy winner Jaromir Jagr through a trade with the Penguins. Jagr was then signed to the largest contract ever in NHL history - $77 million over seven years at an average salary of $11 million per year (over $134,000 per game) with an option for an eighth year.
During the 2001-02 season, Linden was dealt to the Vancouver Canucks. Oates finally received his trade request, going to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for a prospect and three draft picks. The Capitals failed to defend their division title and missed the playoffs in 2002 despite a winning record. Jagr's point total also dropped from 121 the season prior to 79.
In the 2003-04 season, the Caps unloaded much of their high-priced talent. It started with Jagr moving to the New York Rangers for Anson Carter.
The Alexander Ovechkin Era
The Capitals finished the 2005-06 season with a 29-41-12 campaign. In his rookie season, Ovechkin led all 2005-06 rookies in goals with 52 and points with 106.
In the 2007-08 offseason, the Capitals signed Swedish forward Nicklas Backstrom, the fourth overall pick in the 2006 NHL entry draft, to a three-year entry-level contract. They also signed 19-year-old goaltender Semyon Varlamov to a three-year entry-level contract.
After starting the season 6-14-1, the Capitals fired head coach Glen Hanlon and replaced him with Hershey Bears head coach Bruce Boudreau. On January 10, 2008, the Capitals signed Ovechkin to an NHL-record $124 million contract extension at 13 years, the second-longest term of any contract in the NHL after New York Islanders goaltender Rick DiPietro's 15-year contract.
Aided by key acquisitions at the trade deadline (Matt Cooke, Sergei Fedorov, and Cristobal Huet), Ovechkin's NHL-leading 65 goals, and Mike Green's league defensemen-leading 18 goals, the Capitals won the Southeast Division title for the first time since the 2000-01 season, edging out the Carolina Hurricanes for the division title on the final game of the season.
Washington's remarkable end-of-season run included winning 11 of the final 12 regular season games. The Capitals became the first team in NHL history to make the playoffs after being ranked 14th or lower in their conference standings at the season's midpoint.
For the postseason, the Capitals played against the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round and managed to force a game seven after being down three games to one in the series. However, they ultimately lost to the Flyers 3-2 in overtime.
The accolades for the team continued to grow after the end of the season. Ovechkin won the Art Ross Trophy, the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy, the Hart Memorial Trophy, and the Lester B. The 2008-09 season was highlighted by the play of Mike Green and Ovechkin. Green led all NHL defensemen in goals and points, also setting the record for the longest consecutive goal-scoring streak by a defenseman with eight games.
Ovechkin won his second Hart Trophy, his second Lester B. The Capitals finished the 2009-10 season first in the NHL with 121 points, thereby winning the Presidents' Trophy. The Capitals started the 2011-12 season with a record of 7-0, but they only won five of their next 15 games. As a result, general manager George McPhee fired head coach Boudreau, hiring Capitals legend Dale Hunter as his replacement.
By the end of the 2011-12 season, the team's top two goaltenders, Michal Neuvirth and Tomas Vokoun, were injured and the Capitals were required to lean on their goaltending prospect Braden Holtby to help the team into the 2012 playoffs.
The Capitals finished with the seventh overall seed in East, drawing the defending champion Boston Bruins in the first round. The Capitals defeated the defending Stanley Cup champion and second-seeded Boston Bruins in seven games on an overtime goal by Joel Ward. Every game in the series was decided by a one-goal margin; previously, no single series in the Stanley Cup playoffs had ever gone as far as six or seven games while neither team ever held more than a one-goal lead.
The Capitals then advanced to the second round to face the top-seeded New York Rangers. The series went seven games, ending with a 2-1 Rangers victory at Madison Square Garden.
Following the season's end, head coach Dale Hunter announced he would step down. On May 26, 2014, the Capitals announced the promotion of Brian MacLellan from director of player personnel to general manager and the hiring of Barry Trotz as the new head coach.
In Ovechkin's 691st NHL game on November 4, 2014, he became the Capitals' all-time points leader during a game against the Calgary Flames, surpassing Peter Bondra. On January 1, 2015, the Washington Capitals defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 in the 2015 Winter Classic at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.
In the 2015 playoffs, the Capitals defeated the Islanders in seven games in the first round. In the second round, the Capitals held a 3-1 series lead over the New York Rangers.
During the offseason of the 2015-16 season, Mike Green left in free agency and Justin Williams was acquired in free agency. The Capitals also traded Pheonix Copley and Troy Brouwer for T. J. Oshie with the St. Louis Blues. the Capitals finished in first place in the league with a record of 56-18-8 and 120 points.
After defeating the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round, they faced their rival, the Pittsburgh Penguins, for the first time since 2009. Ovechkin reached the 1,000-point milestone on January 11, 2017, with a goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Despite a slow 5-6-1 start to the 2017-18 season, which extended out to 10-9-1, the Capitals went on a 10-2-2 run in December, and were able to clinch the Metropolitan Division for a third consecutive season on April 1.
Washington Capitals 2018 Stanley Cup Champions
Stanley Cup Victory in 2018
In the 2018 playoffs, the Capitals battled back from a 2-0 series deficit against the seventh-seeded Columbus Blue Jackets in the first round of the playoffs, winning four straight and beating the Blue Jackets in six games. They faced the Penguins again in the second round, and this time, they defeated the Penguins with an overtime goal by Evgeny Kuznetsov in game six. It marked the first time in 20 seasons that the Capitals made the conference finals and the first time in 24 seasons that they had defeated the Penguins in playoff series.
The Capitals advanced to the 2018 Stanley Cup Final on May 23, after beating the top-seeded Tampa Bay Lightning in seven games. They then faced the expansion Vegas Golden Knights and overcame them in five games, including a 4-3 win in the decisive game five. Not only was it the Capitals' first Stanley Cup victory, but it was also the first championship for a Washington, D.C. team since 1992.
Washington Capitals celebrate their Stanley Cup Victory in 2018
Recent Seasons
During the regular season of the 2020-21 season, the team made a trade with the Detroit Red Wings to acquire Anthony Mantha, trading out Richard Panik, Jakub Vrana, and two draft picks. However, in the 2021 playoffs, they lost to the Boston Bruins in five games of the first round.
In the 2021-22 season, the Capitals reacquired Marcus Johansson, trading Daniel Sprong and two draft picks. In the playoffs, they matched against the Presidents' Trophy-winning Florida Panthers in the first round, but fell to them in six games.
The 2022-23 season saw the Capitals play against the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2023 NHL Stadium Series at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Capitals took to the ice in red, white and blue jerseys featuring contrast-colored shoulders and stars on the chest and sleeves based on the flag of the United States.
Team Identity and Uniforms
The new primary logo is a stylized bald eagle. Prior to the start of the 1995-96 season, the team abandoned its traditional red, white and blue color scheme in favor of a blue, black, and copper palette with an American bald eagle with five stars as its logo. The alternate logo depicted the Capitol building with crossed hockey sticks behind.
For the 1997-98 season, the team unveiled a black alternate jersey, devoid of blue with copper stripes on the ends of sleeves and at the waist. The crest on the white and blue jerseys were the bald eagle logo, while the crest on the black jersey was the Capitol logo. Initially, the team name was placed along the bottom black stripe, but was removed on the white jersey in 1997, while it remained on the blue jersey until its retirement. Second and third black, blue, and copper logos used by the Capitals.
The Capitals unveiled new uniforms on June 22, 2007, which coincided with the 2007 NHL entry draft and the new league-wide adaptation of the Reebok-designed uniform system for 2007-08. The change marked a return to the red, white and blue color scheme originally used from 1974 to 1995.
Team Information
- Inaugural season: 1974
- Home arena: Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C.
- Owner: Ted Leonsis
- Team colors: Red, white, and blue
Retired Numbers
The Capitals have retired the use of four numbers in honor of four players:
- 5 - Rod Langway
- 7 - Yvon Labre
- 11 - Mike Gartner
- 32 - Dale Hunter
Hall of Fame Connections
In addition, the team holds an association with a number of individuals inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team with a rich history, marked by periods of struggle and ultimate triumph. From their disastrous inaugural season to their Stanley Cup victory in 2018, the Capitals have become an integral part of the Washington, D.C. sports landscape.