Washington Capitals

Team information

• Inaugural season: 1974
• Home arena: Capital One Arena, Washington, DC
• Owner: Ted Leonsis
• Team colors: Red, white, and blue

Overview

The Washington Capitals is a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, DC. The Caps, as the team is commonly called, are members of the Metropolitan Division of the National Hockey League’s (NHL) Eastern Conference. The team has won nine division titles and two Eastern Conference championships (1998 and 2018). The Capitals also won the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals. The team has been based in the Capital One Arena in the District of Columbia since 2018.

History

The Capitals and the Kansas City Scouts were two NHL expansion teams added during the 1974–1975 season. Owner Abe Pollin also owned the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Washington team until 2009. The team held a naming contest, after which Pollin selected the name Capitals. Home ice for much of the franchise’s history was Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland. Pollin had built the suburban arena to house his NHL team and as a new home for his NBA team, which previously was based in Baltimore, Maryland.

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. Each of the next seven seasons ended much the same, with the Caps in the basement, finishing no better than second-to-last in its division.

The team was rumored to be leaving Washington in mid-1982. The city launched a “Save the Caps” campaign, but in the end, a new general manager proved to be what was needed. David Polle traded Caps regulars Ryan Walter and Rick Green to the Montreal Canadiens for Rod Langway, Brian Engblom, Doug Jarvis, and Craig Laughlin. Within weeks, Langway was named captain, and led the defense to shut down opposing goal scorers. Offensive players Dennis Maruk, Mike Gartner, and Bobby Carpenter further improved the team’s standing.

Things turned around quickly during the 1982–83 season. With a defense led by Larry Murphy and Langway, and Mike Gartner as right wing, the Capitals advanced to second-place in its division for five consecutive seasons. The team finally its first division title in 1988–1989, and the following year, advanced to the conference finals.

In 1997, the team moved to MCI Center, which was later renamed the Verizon Center. Right wing Peter Bondra and goaltender Olaf Kolzig led the Capitals to a conference title victory and a berth in the Stanley Cup finals. The Caps fell to the Detroit Red Wings, however. In four of the next five seasons Washington advanced as far as the first round of the playoffs.

When the Capitals won the 2004 NHL Draft Lottery, the team’s choice was Alexander Ovechkin, who led the Caps to consecutive division titles from the 2007–2008 season through 2010–2011. In 2012–2013, he led Washington to another division championship, but the franchise did not advance past the second round of the playoffs. Ovechkin scored his 400th career goal in a 2013 game against the Carolina Hurricanes. The team ended the 2014–2015 season second in the division.

The 2015–2016 season was a highlight for the Caps, which set a franchise record with56 wins. This was the NHL’s best record, but the Pittsburgh Penguins put a stop to Washington’s momentum in the second round of the playoffs. Facing the Pens again in the 2016–2017 playoffs, the Capitals, though leading the NHL with 55 wins, again fell in the second round.

The Capitals won the Eastern Conference playoffs in the team’s forty-fourth season, this time defeating the Penguins in the second round. They went on to sink the Tampa Bay Lightning and nab the conference title. Washington capped the 2017–2018 season with a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals. The team faced off against the Western Conference champion, the Vegas Golden Knights. The Capitals were victorious in five games, winning its first Stanley Cup championship, 4–1. In 2018–2019, Washington won its fourth division title in a row. The Capitals fell in the first round of playoffs, however.

Verizon Center, which is owned by the management company Monumental Sports and Entertainment, is located on land leased from the District. It was built by Abe Pollin with private financing; he owned it until his death in 2009. The following year, his family sold it to Ted Leonsis, who formed the Monumental Sports and Entertainment Company. The Caps moved to Capital One Arena in 2018.

The team mascot prior to 1995 was an eagle named Winger. It was replaced with Slapshot. Slapshot is a bald eagle, in keeping with the national symbol. He wears jersey number 00.

Notable players

The Capitals have retired the numbers of Rod Langway (5), Yvon Labre (7), Mike Gartner (11), and Dale Hunter (32). The team has seen many former players inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Gartner played for the franchise for a decade and was inducted in 2001. He had 397 goals and 392 assists in his 758 games. He played seventeen seasons with at least 30 goals, and was the first NHL player to have 30-goal seasons with five teams.

Langway, inducted in 2002, played eleven years in Washington. He received the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman in 1983 and 1984. In his 776 games, he had 25 goals and 177 assists.

In his six years with the Caps, Larry Murphy played in 453 games. He had 259 assists and 86 goals, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2004. Scott Stevens, who was inducted in 2007, played 601 games for the Caps in his eight years in Washington. He had 98 goals and 337 assists. Dino Ciccarelli played in the District for four years. In his 223 games, he had 112 goals and 97 assists. He was inducted in 2010.

Adam Oates was inducted in 2012. He played with the Caps for six years. In his 387 games, he had 73 goals and 290 assists. Sergei Fedorov played for the Capitals for two years. He had 13 goals and 33 assists in his 70 games. He was inducted in 2015. Phil Housley was inducted in 2015. He played in 141 games in his two years with the Caps, tallying 17 goals and 54 assists. Ron Weber, who was inducted in 2020, was with the Capitals for 23 years. He called 1,936 games.

In 2017, Gartner and Alex Ovechkin were named by the NHL to the list of its one hundred greatest players. Gartner was in Washington from 1979–1989, while Ovechkin was the team’s first round draft in 2004. As of 2020, Ovechkin ranked first in franchise history in multiple statistics, including points, goals, power-play goals, shots, game-winning goals, overtime goals, power-play points, multi-goal games, and multi-point games. He was also tied for first in league history in overtime goals. Gartner ranked third in franchise history in goals, points, game-winning goals, and power-play goals. He ranked fourth in assists. He also held the NHL record for most 30-goal seasons with 17, and shared the record for most consecutive 30-goal seasons, with 15. He won the NHL’s fastest skater competition three times at All-Star Games.

Ovechkin, a left winger and Capitals captain, became one of the league’s most influential modern players. He was awarded the Hart Memorial Trophy, the NHL’s most valuable player award, three times, at the end of the 2007–2008, 2008–2009, and 2012–2013 seasons. In 2013, when he was just twenty-seven, Ovechkin was the only active player to have received the award multiple times. He was also a finalist for the 2009–2010 award. Ovechkin, a native of Moscow, Russia, was just the eighth player in league history to win the Hart three or more times. The others were Bobby Clarke, Wayne Gretzky, Gordie Howe, Mario Lemieux, Howie Morenz, Bobby Orr, and Eddie Shore. He was the first player in eleven years to win consecutive Hart Trophies. He was also the third-youngest to win back-to-back Harts, behind Gretzky and Orr. Ovechkin also was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy, the MVP award for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, in 2018. As of 2019, he was the only Capitals player to receive the Conn Smythe.

Ovechkin also was a top goal scorer in the NHL. As of early 2020, he had received the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy for leading goal scorer in the league a record eight times. Ovechkin first received the trophy in 2007–2008 and again the following year. He again received the trophy in 2012–2013 and every year following except the 2016–2017 season. That year, it went to Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby. Ovechkin was in the running to take the trophy home again for the 2019–2020 season.

Bibliography

Andrews-Dyer, Helena. “Washington Capitals Owner Ted Leonsis Lands Another D.C. Prize.” Washington Post, 13 June 2018, www.washingtonpost.com/news/reliable-source/wp/2018/06/13/washington-capitals-owner-ted-leonsis-lands-another-d-c-prize/. Accessed 25 Mar. 2020.

“Hall of Fame.” NHL.com, www.nhl.com/capitals/history/hall-of-fame. Accessed 25 Mar. 2020.

“Slapshot.” NHL.com, www.nhl.com/capitals/fans/slapshot. Accessed 25 Mar. 2020.

Spiegel, Jackie. “Rocket Richard Trophy. Leaders in 2019-20 NHL Goal-Scoring Race, Previous Winners, History.” Sporting News, 12 Mar. 2020, www.sportingnews.com/us/nhl/news/rocket-richard-trophy-leaders-in-2019-20-nhl-goal-scoring-race-previous-winners-history/gu9s70caffhg14nag0xl7lunf. Accessed 25 Mar. 2020.

Washington Capitals. “Alex Ovechkin Wins Third Hart Trophy.” NFL, 15 June 2013, www.nhl.com/capitals/news/alex-ovechkin-wins-third-hart-trophy/c-674105. Accessed 25 Mar. 2020.

“Washington Capitals.” Hockey Reference, 2020, www.hockey-reference.com/teams/WSH/history.html. Accessed 26 Mar. 2020.

Washington Capitals. “Ovechkin, Gartner Named 100 Greatest NHL Players.” NHL, 27 Jan. 2017, www.nhl.com/capitals/news/alex-ovechkin-mike-gartner-named-100-greatest-nhl-players/c-286197352. Accessed 25 Mar. 2020.

“Washington Capitals Team History.” Sports Team History, 2020, sportsteamhistory.com/washington-capitals. Accessed 26 Mar. 2020.