Washington Capitals

History

Early years (1974–1982)

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. His first act as owner was to hire Hall of Famer Milt Schmidt as general manager. The team name was decided via a contest in which 12,000 entries were given to Pollin. Other names included the Comets, Cyclones, Streaks, and Domes. Jim Anderson was hired as head coach prior to the inaugural season.

With a combined 30 teams between the NHL and the World Hockey Association (WHA), the available talent was stretched thin. The Capitals had few players with significant NHL experience and were at a disadvantage against the long-standing teams that were stocked with veteran players.

The Capitals' inaugural season in 1974–75 set NHL records in futility. They finished last in the league with a 8–67–5 record; 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. Sullivan, after a 14-game losing streak, resigned citing stomach issues. Schmidt had to take over the coaching reins for the remainder of the season.

In 1975–76, Washington went 25 straight games without a win and allowed 394 goals en route to another horrendous record: 11–59–10 (32 points). In the middle of the season, Schmidt resigned and was replaced as general manager by Max McNab and as head coach by Tom McVie. After the season, along with the Scouts, both teams would travel to Tokyo and Sapporo, Japan for four exhibition games for the NHL's first games in an Asian country. For the rest of the 1970s and early 1980s, the Capitals alternated between dreadful seasons and finishing only a few points out of the Stanley Cup playoffs; in 1980, for instance, they were in playoff contention until the last day of the season. In 1978, the Capitals made a trade to acquire Dennis Maruk who would score 50 goals during the 1980–81 season and 60 goals in the 1981–82 season. Thanks to the subpar seasons, the Capitals were able to draft players Mike Gartner and Bobby Carpenter. However, McNab and coach Gary Green were fired in November 1981. Roger Crozier took over as GM for the remainder of the season, but he too was fired in August 1982. One of Crozier's decisions included the hiring of Bryan Murray.

Postseason inconsistencies (1982–1996)

One of the new part-owners was Dick Patrick, on whose advice Pollin 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 pick was made by Crozier, prior to Poile's hiring). The result of both acquisitions helped the team get a third-place finish in the Patrick Division, which resulted in their first playoff appearance. Although they were eliminated by the three-time defending (and eventual) Stanley Cup champion Islanders three games to one, the Caps' dramatic turnaround ended any talk of the club leaving Washington.

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. 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. However, they were defeated by the Islanders in the second round. The Capitals matched their point total the following season, but had a two-game series lead in the first round disappear against the Islanders as Washington lost the next three games to lose the series. In 1985–86, the team had their best record yet, winning 50 games and earning 107 points. After defeating the Islanders in a three-game sweep, the Capitals were defeated by the New York Rangers in six games.

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. In the fourth overtime, at 1:56 am on Easter Sunday 1987, Pat LaFontaine scored, giving the Islanders a 2–1 victory, ending the Capitals season.

At the 1987 NHL entry draft, the Capitals traded Gaetan Duchesne, Alan Haworth, and first round pick (who would become Joe Sakic) for Dale Hunter and Clint Malarchuk. The Capitals were unable to move past the second round for another season in 1988, losing the division finals against the New Jersey Devils. For the 1989 playoffs push, Gartner and Murphy were traded to the Minnesota North Stars in exchange for Dino Ciccarelli and defenseman Bob Rouse. However, they were eliminated in the first round by the Philadelphia Flyers.

Stanley Cup Final appearance and rebuild (1997–2005)

In 1997–98, the Capitals hired general manager George McPhee as well as Ron Wilson as the next head coach. Midway through the season, they moved to MCI Center, now Capital One Arena, their current home arena. Peter Bondra led the team with 52 goals in the regular season. In the 1998, the Caps got past the Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators, and Buffalo Sabres en route to the team's first Stanley Cup Final appearance. However, the team was outmatched by the defending champions, the Detroit Red Wings, who won in a four-game sweep. During the game two of the series, Esa Tikkanen forced Detroit goaltender Chris Osgood out of position but slid the puck past the open net, which led to the Red Wings' comeback in the game. That same season, Oates, Phil Housley, and Hunter all scored their 1,000th career point, the only time in NHL history that one team had three players reach that same milestone in a single season.

After their 1998 Stanley Cup run, the Capitals finished the 1998–99 season with a record of 31–45–6 and failed to qualify for the playoffs. They also traded out Ranford, Berube, Juneau, and captain Dale Hunter. During the season, the team was sold to a group headed by America Online (AOL) executive Ted Leonsis.

The Capitals went on to win back-to-back Southeast Division titles in 2000 and 2001, yet both years lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Penguins. The 2000–01 season also saw the Capitals acquire Trevor Linden and Dainius Zubrus from the Montreal Canadiens. However, after the playoffs, Adam Oates demanded a trade, feeling he was no longer an important part of the team with Linden playing. Management refused to trade Oates and stripped him of his team captaincy.

In the summer of 2001, the Capitals landed five-time Art Ross Trophy winner Jaromír Jágr 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. Ron Wilson was fired as head coach.

Ovechkin–Backstrom era (2005–present)

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. Ovechkin became the first player since Teemu Selänne to score at least 50 goals in his rookie season. His efforts won him the Calder Memorial Trophy. Despite missing the playoffs, the Capitals had an 11-point improvement over the prior season.

In the 2006 offseason, Halpern left the Capitals to join the Dallas Stars; Chris Clark subsequently became the Capitals' new captain. Richard Zedník returned to the Capitals in 2006–07, but was later dealt at the trade deadline to the New York Islanders after an injury-plagued season. Despite the transactions, the Capitals finished with the same point total (70) in 2006–07 as they did the year before, although they won one fewer game. Ovechkin was the Capitals' lone representative in the season's All-Star Game. Washington's campaign also saw the breakout of Alexander Semin, who notched 38 goals in only his second NHL season.

In the 2007–08 offseason, the Capitals signed Swedish forward Nicklas Bäckström, 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. Pearson Award, becoming the first player in NHL history to win all four awards in the same season. Nicklas Bäckström was a finalist for the Calder Trophy, but ended up second to the Chicago Blackhawks' Patrick Kane. In addition to player awards, head coach Bruce Boudreau won the Jack Adams Award for the NHL's coach of the year. However, at free agency, the leading Capitals goaltender in games played, wins, save percentage, and shutouts, Olaf Kölzig left the team to join the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Team information

Logos and jerseys

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. The original logo crest underwent a few modifications throughout the jersey's history.

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. Prior to the 2000–01 season, the team retired its blue road jersey in favor of the black alternate jersey, but still kept the white jersey for home games.

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. The new primary logo is reminiscent of the original Capitals' logo, complete with a hockey stick formed by the letter "t"; it also includes a new feature not present in the original logo in the form of three stars representing DC, Maryland, and Virginia. The stars are a reference to the flag of Washington, D.C., which is in turn based on the shield of George Washington's family coat of arms. The new alternate logo used an eagle in the shape of a "W" with the silhouette of the Washington Monument and the United States Capitol building in the negative space within and below.

For the 2011 Winter Classic, the Capitals wore a white jersey honoring the franchise's past with the original logo. The jersey resembled the one the franchise wore from 1974 to 1995. Instead of wearing the combination of blue pants and white helmets the team used when it played at the Capital Centre, the Capitals chose red pants and helmets for the New Year's Day game. The Capitals wore the same jersey, minus the NHL Winter Classic patch, on February 1, 2011, to honor Hockey Hall of Fame winger Dino Ciccarelli.

Practice facility

Since 2006, the Capitals have practiced in the Ballston neighborhood of Arlington County, Virginia. The practice facility is known as the MedStar Capitals Iceplex.

Mascot

Since 1995, the Capitals' mascot has been Slapshot, a bald eagle that wears the number 00. He was named by a fifth grader who won the naming contest.

Season-by-season record

This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by the Capitals. For the full season-by-season history, see List of Washington Capitals seasons

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, OTL = Overtime Losses/SOL = Shootout Losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against

Players and personnel

Current roster

Updated July 13, 2026

Honored members

The Washington Capitals hold an affiliation with a number of inductees to the Hockey Hall of Fame, including nine inductees from the players category and one from the builders category, five of whom played at least five seasons with the club (Gartner, Oates, Stevens, Langway, and Murphy).

In addition to players, members of the local sports media have been honored by the Hockey Hall of Fame. In 2007, Dave Fay, a sports journalist for The Washington Times, was a recipient of the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award. In 2010, play-by-play radio broadcaster Ron Weber was awarded the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award from the Hall of Fame for his contributions to hockey broadcasting.

Players

Builders

The Capitals have retired four numbers: 5, 7, 11, and 32. The NHL retired Wayne Gretzky's No. 99 for all its member teams at the 2000 NHL All-Star Game.

Team captains

Reference:

League and team honors

Franchise leaders

Scoring leaders

These are the top-ten point-scorers in franchise history. Figures are updated after each completed NHL regular season.

* – current Capitals player

Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game

Goaltending leaders

These are the top-ten goaltenders in franchise history by wins. Figures are updated after each completed NHL regular season.

* – current Capitals player

Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T/O = Ties/Overtime losses; GA = Goal against; GAA = Goals against average; SA = Shots against; SV% = Save percentage; SO = Shutouts

Broadcasters

Monumental Sports Network (MSN) has carried Capitals games locally since its founding as Home Team Sports (HTS) in 1984. The channel was later rebranded into Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic (CSN) from 2001 through 2017, and then NBC Sports Washington from 2017 to 2023. MSN's commentators are Joe Beninati, Craig Laughlin, "Inside-the-Glass" reporter Alan May, and rinkside reporter Al Koken.

The Capitals' flagship radio station is WJFK-FM (106.7 FM); commentators are John Walton and Ken Sabourin. The team's radio network consists of stations in Washington, Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina.

Mike Vogel has been covering the team online for the Washington Capitals on its website since the 1995–96 season, writing daily game stories and analysis. Vogel, who also participates in podcasts and in-stadium video presentations as well as guesting on various Washington DC radio and television programs, has been described as "the most interesting man in Caps media".