Washington Capitals

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Washington Capitals
Washington Capitals logo
founding June 11, 1974
history Washington Capitals
since 1974
Stadion Capital One Arena
Location Washington, DC
Team colors Red, navy blue, white
league National Hockey League
Conference Eastern Conference
division Metropolitan Division
Head coach vacant
Team captain RussiaRussia Alexander Ovechkin
General manager CanadaCanada Brian MacLellan
owner United StatesUnited States Ted Leonsis
Cooperations Hershey Bears ( AHL )
South Carolina Stingrays ( ECHL )
Stanley Cups 2018
Conference title 1997/98 , 2017/18
Division title 1988/89 , 1999/00 , 2000/01 ,
2007/08 , 2008/09 , 2009/10 ,
2010/11 , 2012/13 , 2015/16 ,
2016/17 , 2017/18 , 2018/19 , 2019 / 20th

The Washington Capitals ( IPA : [ˈwɒʃɪŋtən kæp.ɪ.təls] ) are an American ice hockey franchise of the National Hockey League from Washington, DC It was founded on June 11, 1974 and started playing at the beginning of the 1974/75 season . The team colors are red, navy blue and white.

The Capitals play their home games in the Capital One Arena and emerged from the league expansion of the late 1960s and early 1970s. After the team started with a negative NHL record of 67 defeats in 80 season games in the league, the team stabilized in the 1980s and was always represented in the playoffs. At the beginning of the new millennium, there was another low, although the team advanced to the final series for the prestigious Stanley Cup in the 1997/98 season , but missed the first title win there. 20 years later, the team finally won the first title in franchise history in the 2018 playoffs .

history

The first logo of the Capitals (1974–1995)

1970s

Together with the Kansas City Scouts , the Washington Capitals were added to the NHL in 1974 as expansion teams . Since the competition league World Hockey Association had existed for two years and thus there were 30 highly professional teams, the roster of the Capitals consisted of only a few experienced players. Accordingly, they completed their first season and set a new record with 67 defeats in 80 games. However, the Kansas City Scouts started their first year in the NHL only marginally better.

1980s

Things did not go much better in the other seasons of the 1970s and the downward slide for the Capitals continued at the beginning of the next decade. After the Kansas City Scouts were relocated to Colorado in 1976 and only six years later to New Jersey , the owners of the Capitals came up with the idea of ​​relocating the team to another region in the summer of 1982. This led to a campaign by fans eager to keep the franchise in the capital. But the problem was solved by two things.

On the one hand, David Poile was hired as General Manager, on the other hand, one of his first official acts was a spectacular transfer. He gave the established players Ryan Walter and Rick Green to the Montréal Canadiens in exchange for Rod Langway , Brian Engblom , Doug Jarvis and Craig Laughlin . Supported by the new players and by Dennis Maruk , Mike Gartner and Bobby Carpenter , who were already part of the team , the Capitals were able to reach the playoffs for the first time in the 1982/83 season and thus keep the team in Washington.

In the following 14 years, the Capitals could always qualify for the playoffs. But despite this success, the team has often disappointed fans over the years. In the regular season they often presented themselves very well and often went into the playoffs as one of the competitors for the Stanley Cup , but only once could they survive the second round. These were shaped by Langway, Gartner, Carpenter, Larry Murphy , Kevin Hatcher , Dino Ciccarelli and a few more.

1990s

Capital One Arena , since 1997 the location of the Caps

In the mid-1990s they had rising stars in their ranks with Joé Juneau , Peter Bondra , Sergei Gonchar and the German goalkeeper Olaf Kölzig , but in 1997 they missed the playoffs again for the first time in a long time. But the following year should be the most successful so far. As the fifth best team they qualified for the playoffs and threw the Boston Bruins out in the first round . The second round was followed by a relatively one-sided series of five games against the Ottawa Senators , which the Capitals won. In the final of the Eastern Conference they faced the Buffalo Sabers , who they defeated 4-2. This was followed by the Stanley Cup final against defending champion Detroit Red Wings . Led by Dale Hunter , they tried to beat the big-name team, but they couldn't. They only narrowly lost their first two games in Detroit, but after the Capitals lost their first home game with 1-2, their backs were against the wall. In the fourth game Washington couldn't hold back and lost the fourth game, this time relatively clearly with 1-4. Detroit had defended its title, giving Washington a great opportunity.

1998/99 was again a disillusionment, because you did not make it into the playoffs. The following two years you could move back to the finals by two first places in the Southeast Division, but failed both times because of the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round.

2000 to 2004

In the summer of 2001, the Capitals achieved a coup when they signed superstar Jaromír Jágr . However, you missed the playoffs. In 2002 the Capitals signed the veteran Robert Lang as reinforcement and reached the playoffs again. The series started with two wins for Washington, but this one was lost 2-4.

During the 2003/04 season , the Capitals gave up some of their stars. Jágr went to the New York Rangers , Peter Bondra to Ottawa, Sergei Gontschar to the Dallas Stars and Robert Lang was transferred to the Detroit Red Wings . Lang's transfer was unique in the history of the NHL, as the player who led the league in points has never been transferred during a season. The team finished the season with only 59 points. This was the worst result in 26 years.

New start with young talents

In the 2004 NHL Entry Draft , the Capitals were the first team to choose a player and decided on Alexander Ovetschkin . But in the coming season, the young Russian could not be used because the 2004/05 season was canceled due to the lockout . Ovechkin played in his home country with Alexander Syomin , who had been selected by the Capitals in the Entry Draft two years earlier .

The 2005/06 season ended for the Capitals again in last place in the Southeast Division and thus far from the playoffs. But the team's performance showed up. There were a lot of tight games and some players even saw the year as their best season in terms of numbers. Dainius Zubrus achieved a personal best with 57 points, Jeff Halpern prepared 33 goals and thus more than in any other year and Matt Pettinger was able to reach the 20-goal mark for the first time.

But the player who overshadowed everyone was Alexander Ovechkin, who played his first year in Washington. He scored 52 times and set up 54 goals, bringing him to 106 points, a figure only two rookies could beat in NHL history. Ovechkin was the league's third top scorer and scorer in the season and was also nominated for the Lester B. Pearson Award , which is given to the best player in the NHL. The Calder Memorial Trophy as the best league newcomer but he could decide for himself and stabbed while Sidney Crosby and Dion Phaneuf made.

In the summer of 2006, team captain Jeff Halpern left the Capitals. Alexander Sjomin, who played in Russia in 2005/06, returned to Washington and Richard Zedník rejoined the Capitals after five and a half years in Montréal. In the 2006/07 season the team's performance stagnated and the playoffs were missed again. Young star Alexander Ovetschkin started the season strong and formed a very good attacking duo with compatriot Alexander Sjomin, but later he no longer played consistently enough, in the end he still scored 46 goals and 46 assists. In general, the team was not set up well enough across the board. Ovechkin with 92 points and Syomin with 73 lived up to expectations, but behind them only team captain Chris Clark scored more than 40 points scorer.

The general management of the Capitals hopes to sign some good players without a contract by the 2007/08 season in order to expand the team's base. In addition, the Swedish talent Nicklas Bäckström selected in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft will join the team. During the summer break, the Capitals signed three experienced NHL professionals: defender Tom Poti , center Michael Nylander and Russian winger Viktor Koslow . Through these commitments and the reinforcement by the Swedish talent Nicklas Bäckström, the Capitals achieved their first participation in the play-offs since the 2003/04 season after a curious catch-up, combined with a change of coach, and Sergei Fjodorow of the Columbus Blue Jackets also switched shortly before the end of the transfer window another seasoned NHL player in the capital. In the play-offs they failed in the first round with 3: 4 games against the Philadelphia Flyers , but the decisive goal for the Flyers in the seventh game fell in extra time. Alexander Ovetschkin was top scorer in the regular season with 112 points and top scorer in the NHL with 65 hits, which also meant the best mark for a left winger. Ovechkin got 4 coveted trophies this season and was voted MVP .

Establishment as a top team

As in the previous season, the Washington Capitals concluded the 2008/09 regular season as the winner of the Southeast Division . After the Capitals had eliminated the New York Rangers in seven games in the first round of the play-offs, the two superstars Alexander Ovetschkin and Sidney Crosby met in the conference semifinals in a duel with the Pittsburgh Penguins . Washington failed 3: 4 after seven games against the eventual Stanley Cup winner.

In the 2009/10 season , the Capitals made a new attempt at the Stanley Cup. In the regular season, the Capitals had an outstanding year, qualified as the first team for the play-offs and with 121 points they won the Eastern Conference and won the President's Trophy as the team with the highest points of the regular season. The result of 121 points is the third best result since the award was awarded in 1986, only the Detroit Red Wings managed to achieve even more points in 1996 and 2006. With Alexander Ovetschkin and Nicklas Bäckström, the Capitals also had two players in the top four of the top scorer list. In the playoffs, the Capitals failed despite the successes in the regular season 3: 4 to the Montréal Canadiens in the first round. In the following years, the Capitals failed, despite the good regular season, in the second playoff round at the latest. A particular rivalry developed with the Pittsburgh Penguins and their superstar Sidney Crosby , who were the final destination in 2016 and 2017.

This “Pittsburgh Curse” was defeated for the first time in the 2018 playoffs . After a 4-3 win over Tampa Bay , the Capitals reached their first Stanley Cup final against the Vegas Golden Knights . The final series was won 4: 1 after an opening defeat and gave the Capitals the first Stanley Cup. Alexander Owetschkin was also awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy .

Venues

The Capital One Arena, the current venue

The Capitals have played their home games since 1997 in the Capital One Arena , a multifunctional arena that can hold 18,277 spectators . The hall was built and opened under the name MCI Center, which it carried from 1997 to 2006. From 2006 to 2017, the telecommunications company Verizon was the namesake (Verizon Center) before the naming rights were transferred to Capital One in August 2017 .

From 1974 to 1997 the club played in the Capital Center , which opened in 1973 and has a capacity of 18,130 for ice hockey events. The Capital Center, often referred to as the US Airways Arena or USAir Arena, was located in Largo , Maryland , just outside Washington, DC . From the beginning, the Capitals shared the hall with the Washington Bullets (now: Washington Wizards ), a basketball team of the National Basketball Association .

Farm teams

The Capitals, like all other NHL teams, also include teams in lower-class leagues , so-called farm teams . In the case of the Capitals, these have been the Hershey Bears in the American Hockey League since 2005 and the South Carolina Stingrays from the ECHL since 2004 . The farm teams are often used in the NHL to prepare the young players and rookies for the NHL games. Like the other clubs, the Capitals draw their offspring primarily through the NHL Entry Draft , which brings the most promising young players into the league every year.

The Washington Capitals farm teams since 1974:

Period team league
1974-1976 Richmond Robins AHL
1974-1977 Dayton Gems IHL
1974-1977 Philadelphia Firebirds NEAR
1975-1976 Baltimore Clippers AHL
1975-1976 Greensboro Generals SHL
1976-1977 Springfield Indians AHL
1976-1977 Johnstown Jets NEAR
Period team league
1977-1984 Hershey Bears AHL
1977-1981 Port Huron flags IHL
1981-1990 Fort Wayne Comet IHL
1984-1988 Binghamton Whalers AHL
1988-1993 Baltimore Skipjacks AHL
1993-1999 Hampton Roads Admirals ECHL
1993-2005 Portland Pirates AHL
Period team league
1998-2001 Quad City Mallards UHL
2000-2003 Richmond Renegades ECHL
2004-2005 Quad City Mallards UHL
since 2004 South Carolina Stingrays ECHL
since 2005 Hershey Bears AHL

Miscellaneous

  • Home jersey
    (since 2007)

  • Away shirt
    (since 2007)

Current jersey design

In addition to a change of equipment supplier for all clubs in the league, the 2007/08 season also saw the Capitals return to the old team logo and the old club colors red, white and blue. In 1996 these traditional colors were changed to black, blue and bronze and a new logo was introduced. According to the regulations of the NHL, the home jersey has to be designed in a dark basic color and the away jersey in a light basic color since 2003 . For the equipment of the Capitals, this means that the team plays in red jerseys for home games and white jerseys for away games. The other team colors are used as secondary colors for both jerseys.

The chest area of ​​the NHL jerseys is traditionally determined by the team logos, on the shoulders the capitals also wear the alternative logo, which represents an eagle.

Achievements and honors

Sporting successes

Stanley Cup
season
2018
Presidents' Trophies
2009/10 , 2015/16 , 2016/17
Conference Championships season
Prince of Wales Trophy 1997/98 , 2017/18
Division Championships season
Patrick Division 1988/89
Southeast Division 1999/00 , 2000/01 , 2007/08 ,
2008/09 , 2009/10 , 2010/11 ,
2012/13
Metropolitan Division 2015/16 , 2016/17 , 2017/18 , 2018/19 , 2019/20

It had taken a long time for the Capitals, founded in 1974, to end a season as the first in their division. The Philadelphia Flyers and the New York Islanders were too dominant until they succeeded for the first time in the 1988/89 season .

Nine years later, Washington reached the Stanley Cup finals as a representative of the Eastern Conference . For this they received the Prince of Wales Trophy . Against the Detroit Red Wings they had no chance in the final series and lost the series in four games. In the following years, the Capitals won the division title of the Southeast Division six more times . In 2018, the first Stanley Cup success followed with a 4-1 win in the final series against the Vegas Golden Knights .

Individual awards

Art Ross Trophy : In 2008, Alexander Ovechkin became the first Capitals player to win the trophy for the NHL's best scorer.

Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy : In 2010, José Théodore became the first Capitals player to win the trophy for perseverance, dedication and fairness in and for ice hockey.

Calder Memorial Trophy : As the best rookie in the league in 2006, Alexander Ovechkin was the first player from Washington to be honored.

Conn Smythe Trophy : When the team won their first title, Alexander Ovetschkin was honored as MVP of the playoffs.

Frank J. Selke Trophy : Doug Jarvis received the award for the best defensive attacker in 1984.

Hart Memorial Trophy : Alexander Ovechkin became the first player toreceivethe Professional Hockey Writers' Association 's Most Valuable Player Award for the Regular Season.

Jack Adams Award : Bryan Murray made the Washington team from whipping boy to playoff participant. In 1984 he was voted the best coach for this. Something similar succeeded almost a quarter of a century later Bruce Boudreau, who led the team from 15th place in the conference to the division title. After winning the President's Trophy, Barry Wahr received the Jack Adams Award in 2016.

James Norris Memorial Trophy : The club leadership had brought Rod Langway from Montréal and his strength in defense heralded the upward trend of the Capitals. In 1983 and 1984 he was the best defender in the NHL.

King Clancy Memorial Trophy :Olaf Kölzig was honored in 2006for his social commitment, especially in research into autism and the treatment of autistic children.

Lester B. Pearson Award / Ted Lindsay Award : Alexander Ovetschkin was the first player to receive this award from the players' union.

Maurice Richard Trophy : In 2008 Alexander Ovetschkin became the first player in the franchise to win the trophy for the NHL's top scorer, which has been awarded since 1999. Since then, the Russian winger has led the league seven times in terms of hits. Even before the trophy was introduced, Peter Bondra , a Capitals player, was the league's top scorer in 1995 and 1998.

NHL Foundation Player Award :

Vezina Trophy : In his second season, Jim Carey was named the best goalkeeper in the NHL. The talented goalkeeper could not save this performance consistently in the future. The long-term success of Olaf Kölzig, who was voted best goalkeeper in 2000. After setting Martin Brodeur's record with 48 wins in the 2015/16 season, Braden Holtby received the award.

William M. Jennings Trophy : In the third year in which the NHL awarded this trophy to the goalkeepers with the fewest goals conceded, the team from Washington was an award winner.

NHL All-Rookie Team : The first award a Washington player received was when Scott Stevens was called to the All-Rookie Team in 1983.

NHL All-Star Game Nominations

Abbreviations: GP = games, G = goals, A = assists,
Pts = points

Surname from ... to GP G A. Pts
Alexander Ovechkin 2007-2018 7th 7th 8th 15th
Peter Bondra 1993-1999 5 1 4th 5
Mike Gartner 1981-1988 4th 2 0 2
Rod Langway 1983-1986 4th 0 1 1
Kevin Hatcher 1990-1992 3 0 3 3
Sergei Gonchar 2001-2003 3 0 3 3
Scott Stevens 1985-1989 2 0 1 1
Al Iafrate 1993-1994 2 0 0 0
Olaf Koelzig 1998-2000 2 - - -

With 15 points, Alexander Ovetschkin is the most successful scorer and with seven goals also the best goalscorer. He also took part in an All-Star Game seven times, the most frequently.

In the 1975 All-Star Game , Denis Dupéré was the first player to participate for Washington. He succeeded in making a template in this game. It was not until the All-Star Game in 1985 that Mike Gartner scored the first hit in an All-Star Game. A Capitals coach has never looked after an all-star team.

With Brian Sutherby (2004) a player of the Capitals was once the most valuable player in the Young Stars Games.

In addition to the All-Star Games, there were other occasions when the NHL provided an All-Star team. At the 1979 Challenge Cup , Robert Picard, a Capitals player, was nominated, but he was not used. For the rendez-vous '87 , in which the NHL team again played against the Soviet national team, Rod Langway was a player from the Capitals. He was used in both games.

Franchise records

Selected player records of the franchise over the entire career as well as over individual seasons are listed below.

Career

Surname number
Most games Alexander Ovechkin * 1152 (in 15 seasons)
Most consecutive games Karl Alzner 540 (October 8, 2010 to April 9, 2017)
Most goals Alexander Ovechkin * 706
Most templates Nicklas Bäckström * 684
Most of the points Alexander Ovechkin * 1278 (706 goals + 572 assists)
Most penalty minutes Dale Hunter 2.003
Most shutouts Olaf Koelzig
Braden Holtby *		 35

* active player of the Capitals; Status: after the 2019/20 season

season

Surname number season
Most goals Alexander Ovechkin 65 2007/08
Most templates Dennis Maruk 76 1981/82
Most of the points Dennis Maruk 136 (60 goals + 76 assists) 1981/82
Most points as a rookie Alexander Ovechkin 106 (52 goals + 54 assists) 2005/06
Most points as a defender Larry Murphy 81 (23 goals + 58 assists) 1986/87
Most penalty minutes Alan May 339 1989/90
Most wins as a goalkeeper Braden Holtby 48 2015/16

Trainer

Abbreviations: GC = games, W = wins, L = defeats, T = draws, OTL = defeats after
overtime , Pts = points, Pts% = point quota

Surname season Regular season Play-offs
GC W. L. T OTL Pts Pts% GC W. L.
Jim Anderson 1974/75 * 54 4th 45 5 - 13 .074 - - -
George Sullivan 1974/75 * 18th 2 16 0 - 4th .111 - - -
Milt Schmidt 1974/75 * –1975 / 76 * 44 5 34 5 - 15th .114 - - -
Tom McVie 1975/76 * -1977 / 78 204 49 122 33 - 131 .240 - - -
Danny Belisle 1978 / 79–1979 / 80 * 96 28 51 17th - 73 .292 - - -
Gary Green 1979/80 * –1981 / 82 * 157 50 78 29 - 129 .318 - - -
Roger Crozier 1981/82 * 1 0 1 0 - 0 .000 - - -
Bryan Murray 1981/82 * –1989 / 90 * 672 343 246 83 - 769 .510 53 24 29
Terry Murray 1989/90 * –1993 / 94 * 325 163 134 28 - 354 .502 39 18th 21st
Jim Schoenfeld 1993/94 * -1996 / 97 249 113 102 34 - 260 .454 24 10 14th
Ron Wilson 1997 / 98-2001 / 02 410 192 159 51 8th 443 .468 32 15th 17th
Bruce Cassidy 2002 / 03–2003 / 04 * 110 47 47 9 7th 110 .428 6th 2 4th
Glen Hanlon 2003/04 * - 2007/08 * 239 78 122 9 30th 195 .326 - - -
Bruce Boudreau 2007/08 * –2011 / 12 * 329 201 88 - 40 442 .672 37 17th 20th
Dale Hunter 2011/12 * 60 30th 23 - 7th 67 .558 14th 7th 7th
Adam Oates 2012 / 13–2013 / 14 130 65 48 - 17th 147 .565 7th 3 4th
Barry defiance 2014 / 15–2017 / 18 328 205 89 - 34 444 .677 63 36 27
Todd Reirden 2018 / 19–2019 / 20 151 89 46 - 16 194 642 15th 5 10

* Change during the current season

The first coach of the Capitals, Jim Anderson looked back on seven games in the NHL and several years as a coach in the minor leagues before his engagement in the capital . The team was not suitable for the NHL and after he achieved only four wins under Anderson in the first 54 games, George Sullivan was a coach who had led an NHL team for two seasons. The club management gave him 18 games, of which he played two victoriously, after which they separated. General Manager Milt Schmitt took over the team himself. In the course of the following season he signed a new coach with Tom McVie . He looked after the team for two more seasons this season. Like most of his predecessors, Danny Belisle had no coaching experience in the NHL before joining the Capitals. After an average season, they parted with him after a weak start to the season. His successor Gary Green had previously been coach of the year in the Ontario Hockey Association's junior league, but he could not lead the Capitals into the play-offs either. When Green was fired, the Capitals were in upheaval. Roger Crozier took over the coaching position as assistant to the general manager for a game before a coach with Bryan Murray who had a long-term future in Washington was signed.

Murray was the first coach to lead the team into the play-offs. His successes kept him in office for nine years. His successor Terry Murray moved to the Capitals in the last year of his career. After finishing his active career, he was initially an assistant coach in Washington and later took over the farm team in Baltimore. After Bryan Murray was fired, Terry Murray took over the team. He stayed with the Capitals until the beginning of 1994. He was replaced by Jim Schoenfeld , who had previously trained the Buffalo Sabers and New Jersey Devils in the NHL. After he had missed participation in the play-offs for the first time in the fourth year, he had to leave Washington. The Capitals signed Ron Wilson , who had previously performed well in Anaheim. Wilson reached the play-offs three times in the five seasons that he remained in office and led the capitals in his first year to the final series for the Stanley Cup .

After Wilson, the Capitals were only represented once in the finals under the direction of Bruce Cassidy , but failed in the first round. Under the unsuccessful Glen Hanlon , who was dismissed without notice after a weak start to the 2007/08 season, they did not reach the playoffs. His successor Bruce Boudreau led the team to the first division title since 2001 and in every season of his tenure in the play-offs. Boudreau was fired in November 2011 after a poor start to the season and replaced by Dale Hunter . Hunter only ended the 2011/12 season and announced in May 2012 that he would no longer be available as head coach as a result.

Adam Oates succeeded Dale Hunter, but was dismissed after the 2013/14 season because the Capitals had not qualified for the play-offs for the first time since 2007. As his successor Barry Despite was introduced, who had previously coached the Nashville Predators for 15 seasons . Despite looking after the Capitals for four years and leading them to their first Stanley Cup, resigned after this success. His successor was his previous assistant coach Todd Reirden , who was released after two years.

General manager

Surname season
Milt Schmidt 1974 / 75–1975 / 76 *
Max McNab 1975/76 * –1981 / 82 *
Roger Crozier 1981/82 *
David Poile 1982 / 83-1996 / 97
George McPhee 1997 / 98–2013 / 14
Brian MacLellan since 2014/15

* Change during the current season

Milt Schmidt was the first general manager of the Capitals and accompanied the team in its first years, but in the course of the second season he was replaced by Max McNab . David Poile , the fourth general manager, held this position for fifteen years. Prior to that, he had several years of experience with the Atlanta Flames . Under Poile the first successes came with the Capitals. For the 1997/98 season George McPhee took over this position. The former assistant to Pat Quinn at the Vancouver Canucks completely turned the team inside out and reached the Stanley Cup finals in his first year with the Capitals . In the following years he had varying success in Washington. After the 2013/14 season, in which the Capitals had missed the play-offs for the first time since 2007, McPhee's contract was not renewed in the wake of the dismissal of head coach Adam Oates.

player

Squad for the 2019/20 season

Status: end of the 2019/20 season

No. Nat. player Item Date of birth in org. since place of birth
70 CanadaCanada Braden Holtby G September 16, 1989 2009 Lloydminster , Saskatchewan , Canada
30th RussiaRussia Ilya Samsonov G February 22, 1997 2018 Magnitogorsk , Russia
74 United StatesUnited States John Carlson -  A D. January 10, 1990 2009 Natick , Massachusetts , USA
4th CanadaCanada Brenden Dillon D. November 13, 1990 2020 Surrey , British Columbia , Canada
33 Czech RepublicCzech Republic Radko Gudas D. 0June 5th 1990 2019 Kladno , Czechoslovakia
3 United StatesUnited States Nick Jensen D. September 21, 1990 2019 Saint Paul , Minnesota , USA
6th Czech RepublicCzech Republic Michal Kempný D. 0September 8, 1990 2018 Hodonín , Czechoslovakia
9 RussiaRussia Dmitri Orlov D. July 23, 1991 2011 Novokuznetsk , Russian SFSR
34 SwitzerlandSwitzerland Jonas Siegenthaler D. 0May 6, 1997 2015 Zurich , Switzerland
19th SwedenSweden Nicklas Bäckström -  A. C. November 23, 1987 2007 Gävle , Sweden
72 United StatesUnited States Travis Boyd C. September 14, 1993 2015 Hopkins , Minnesota , USA
26th United StatesUnited States Nic Dowd C. May 27, 1990 2018 Huntsville , Alabama , USA
20th DenmarkDenmark Lars Eller C. 0May 8, 1989 2016 Rødovre , Denmark
62 SwedenSweden Carl Hagelin LW 23rd August 1988 2019 Södertälje , Sweden
21st United StatesUnited States Garnet Hathaway RW November 23, 1991 2019 Naples , Florida , USA
17th RussiaRussia Ilya Kovalchuk LW April 15, 1983 2020 Kalinin , Russian SFSR
92 RussiaRussia Yevgeny Kuznetsov C. May 19, 1992 2014 Chelyabinsk , Russia
77 United StatesUnited States TJ Oshie RW December 23, 1986 2015 Mount Vernon , Washington , USA
8th RussiaRussia Alexander Ovechkin -  C. LW 17th September 1985 2005 Moscow , Russian SFSR
14th SlovakiaSlovakia Richard Pánik RW 0February 7, 1991 2019 Martin , Czechoslovakia
13 Czech RepublicCzech Republic Jakub Vrána LW February 28, 1996 2014 Prague , Czech Republic
43 CanadaCanada Tom Wilson RW March 29, 1994 2012 Toronto , Ontario , Canada

Team captains

year Surname
1999-2001 Adam Oates
2001-2002 Steve Konowalchuk
Brendan Witt
2002-2003 Steve Konowalchuk
2003-2005 no captain
2005-2006 Jeff Halpern
2006-2009 Chris Clark
since 2010 Alexander Ovechkin
year Surname
1974-1975 Doug Poppies
1975-1976 Bill Clement
1976-1988 Yvon Labre
1978-1979 Guy Charron
1979-1982 Ryan Walter
1982-1993 Rod Langway
1993-1994 Kevin Hatcher
1994-1999 Dale Hunter

In the history of the Washington Capitals, there have been 13 different players who have held the office of team captain.

At 40, Doug Mohns was by far the oldest player in the squad with which the Capitals started their first season. With his experience from over 1,200 games, he was predestined for the position of team captain. After the end of the season, he retired from his career and Bill Clement took office for 46 games before he left the team. Yvon Labre followed him and led the team with heart and soul for almost three years. Ryan Walter was only 21 years old when he took on the task. When he was delivered to Montreal, Rod Langway was a leading player in return. He was head of the defense and led the previously unsuccessful team into better times. He wore the "C" on his jersey for eleven years until he ended his career in 1993. This makes him the captain of the Capitals who has been in office for the longest time. His successor Kevin Hatcher was given up after a season and Dale Hunter took over the position for five years. Another veteran captain was Adam Oates . After Steve Konowalchuk and Brendan Witt , the team remained without a captain until Jeff Halpern took over the post after the lockout . From 2006 on, Chris Clark wore the "C" on his jersey despite many injuries until he had to leave the club at the end of December 2009 due to a transfer deal. At the beginning of January 2010, Alexander Ovechkin was appointed the new captain.

Members of the Hockey Hall of Fame

Surname Recording date position
Dino Ciccarelli November 8, 2010 player
Sergei Fyodorov 2015 player
Mike Gartner November 12, 2001 player
Rod Langway November 4, 2002 player
Larry Murphy November 8, 2004 player
Adam Oates November 12, 2012 player
Scott Stevens November 12, 2007 player

So far, seven players of the Washington Capitals were in Toronto located Fame Hockey Hall of added. These were striker Mike Gartner , who was the first Capitals player to be included in the 2001 class, defenders Rod Langway , Larry Murphy and Scott Stevens in 2001, 2004 and 2007, and Dino Ciccarelli in the 2010 class. Last was Sergei Feodorov in the year In 2015 inducted into the Hall of Fame.

A Washington Capitals official has not yet been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Blocked jersey numbers

No. Surname Blocking date
5 Rod Langway November 26, 1997
7th Yvon Labre November 7, 1981
11 Mike Gartner December 28, 2008
32 Dale Hunter March 11, 2000
99 Wayne Gretzky February 6, 2000 (league-wide)

In its franchise history, the Washington Capitals have so far officially banned four jersey numbers, most recently in December 2008. In addition, another one is no longer officially awarded.

The Washington Capitals hang Mike Gartner's number 11 on the ceiling

For the first time, Yvon Labre's jersey number 7 was officially blocked by the Washington Capitals on November 7, 1981. It wasn't until 16 years later, on November 26, 1997, that the team hung another banner with Rod Langway's jersey number 5 on the ceiling of the Capital Center , the venue at that time. After moving to today's Verizon Center in December 1997, Dale Hunter's jersey number 32 was also blocked on March 11, 2000 . Another blocking took place on December 28, 2008 with the number 11 by Mike Gartner .

Furthermore, the famous 99 of the Canadian Wayne Gretzky will no longer be awarded to a player, as it has been officially banned by the league since February 6, 2000.

Top 10 voting rights in the NHL Entry Draft

Surname year Draft position
Greg Joly 1974 1.
Rick Green 1976 1.
Robert Picard 1977 3.
Ryan Walter 1978 2.
Mike Gartner 1979 4th
Darren Veitch 1980 5.
Bobby Carpenter 1981 3.
Scott Stevens 1982 5.
Surname year Draft position
John Slaney 1990 9.
Nolan Baumgartner 1994 10.
Alexander Wolchkov 1996 4th
Nick Boynton 1997 9.
Kris Beech 1999 7th
Alexander Ovechkin 2004 1.
Nicklas Bäckström 2006 4th
Karl Alzner 2007 5.

So far, the Washington Capitals have been able to choose 16 players among the top ten rights since the 1974 NHL Amateur Draft , including the first player in the entire draft in 1974, 1976 and 2004.

Greg Joly and Rick Green were players drawn as first-overall draft picks in 1974 and 1976. Later, the Capitals selected Robert Picard , Ryan Walter and Mike Gartner from several players who earned a regular place in Washington. Mike Gartner, who was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001, had a share in the performance of the Capitals with his scorer qualities, who made it into the playoffs seven times in a row. Center Bobby Carpenter and defender Scott Stevens were also outstanding individual players, who later each won the Stanley Cup three times with the New Jersey Devils . John Slaney and Nolan Baumgartner did not live up to expectations and could not prevail at the Capitals.

Alexander Woltschkow , who was selected in the NHL Entry Draft in 1996, only played three games in the NHL. In the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, Alexander Ovetschkin was selected as a later leader who is now one of the top players in the NHL. The Swede Nicklas Bäckström, who was selected in 2006, also quickly fought for a regular place in the team and scored over 100 points for the first time in the 2009/10 season.

Franchise top point collector

The ten best point collectors in the history of the franchise by the end of the 2019/20 regular season and the 2020 playoffs .

Abbreviations: Pos = position, GP = games, G = goals, A = assists, Pts = points, P / G = points per game

Regular season
Surname Item season GP G A. Pts P / G
Alexander Ovechkin LW since 2005/06 1152 706 572 1278 1.11
Nicklas Bäckström C. since 2007/08 956 243 642 927 0.97
Peter Bondra RW 1990 / 91-2003 / 04 961 472 353 825 0.85
Mike Gartner RW 1979 / 80-1988 / 89 758 397 392 789 1.04
Michal Pivoňka C. 1986 / 87-1998 / 99 825 181 418 599 0.72
Dale Hunter C. 1987 / 88-1998 / 99 872 181 375 556 0.63
Bengt-Åke Gustafsson F. 1979 / 80-1988 / 89 629 196 359 555 0.88
Mike Ridley C. 1986 / 87-1993 / 94 588 218 329 547 0.93
John Carlson D. since 2009/10 757 105 373 478 0.63
Calle Johansson D. 1988 / 89-2002 / 03 983 113 361 474 0.48
Playoffs
Surname Item GP G A. Pts P / G
Alexander Ovechkin LW 136 69 62 131 0.96
Nicklas Bäckström C. 128 36 71 107 0.84
Dale Hunter C. 100 25th 47 72 0.72
John Carlson D. 112 18th 48 66 0.59
Yevgeny Kuznetsov C. 78 27 35 62 0.79
Mike Ridley C. 76 19th 41 60 0.78
Peter Bondra RW 73 30th 26th 56 0.76
Michal Pivoňka C. 95 19th 36 55 0.57
Calle Johansson D. 95 12 42 54 0.56
Scott Stevens D. 67 9 44 53 0.79

Web links

Commons : Washington Capitals  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Hockeydb.com, Washington Capitals farm team list