Washington Capitals

Lore & Background

The NHL awarded an expansion franchise to Washington on June 8, 1972, and the Capitals joined the NHL for the 1974–75 season along with the Kansas City Scouts. The team was owned by Abe Pollin, who built the Capital Centre in suburban Landover, Maryland. The team name was decided via a contest with 12,000 entries. The Capitals' inaugural season set NHL records in futility, finishing with an 8–67–5 record, the worst winning percentage in NHL history. They set records for most road losses (39 out of 40), most consecutive road losses (37), and most consecutive losses (17). By the summer of 1982, serious talk began of the heavily money-losing team leaving Washington. Fans started a 'Save the Caps' ticket-buying campaign, and the Prince George's County council voted to give the Caps a near-complete break from a heavy tax on admission, leading owner Pollin to announce new investing partners and confirm the team would stay.

After purchasing the team in 1999, Leonsis revitalized the franchise by drafting star players such as Alexander Ovechkin, Nicklas Bäckström, John Carlson, Braden Holtby, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Tom Wilson. The Capitals won their first Presidents' Trophy in 2009–10, and won it again in 2015–16 and 2016–17. They reached the Stanley Cup Final in 1998 and 2018, winning the latter in five games against the Vegas Golden Knights. The Capitals have retired the use of four numbers in honor of four players, and hold an association with a number of individuals inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. The team is affiliated with the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League and the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL.

Reader's Guide

The Washington Capitals' significance lies in their transformation from a struggling expansion franchise into a consistent playoff contender and eventual Stanley Cup champion. Their early years were marked by extreme futility, including the worst single-season record in NHL history, but a major trade in 1982 brought Rod Langway and others, turning the team into a perennial playoff participant. The franchise nearly relocated in 1982 before a fan campaign and local government action kept the team in Washington. Under owner Ted Leonsis, the Capitals built a core of star players through the draft, leading to multiple Presidents' Trophies and division titles. Their ultimate achievement came in 2018 when they won the Stanley Cup, defeating the Vegas Golden Knights in five games. The Capitals have retired four numbers and have ties to the Hockey Hall of Fame. Their legacy includes 14 division titles, three Presidents' Trophies, and a championship that capped a long journey from expansion struggles to the pinnacle of the sport.

Did You Know?

• The Capitals' inaugural 1974–75 season set NHL records for fewest wins (8) and worst winning percentage (.131).
• The team was nearly relocated in 1982 before a fan 'Save the Caps' campaign and a tax break from Prince George's County kept them in Washington.
• The Capitals won their first Stanley Cup in 2018, defeating the Vegas Golden Knights in five games.
• The team's name was chosen from a contest that received 12,000 entries.