50 Fun Facts About Washington Capitals

The Capitals entered the NHL in 1974 alongside which other expansion team?

Both clubs toured Japan for exhibitions in 1976, the NHL's first games in Asia.

Which owner, who also owned the NBA's Bullets, founded the Capitals?

He built the Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland, to house both teams.

Which Hall of Famer was hired as the Capitals' first general manager?

He ended up coaching too after two coaches quit or were fired during the miserable first season.

How many games did the Capitals win in their 8-67-5 inaugural season?

Their .131 winning percentage remains the worst in NHL history, and they lost 39 of 40 road games.

First-year coach Jim Anderson said he would rather learn what than keep losing?

'At least I could tell my wife to cut it out,' he added; he was fired 54 games in.

Which country hosted the Capitals and Scouts for four exhibition games in 1976?

Games in Tokyo and Sapporo were the NHL's first in an Asian country.

Which Capital scored 60 goals in 1981-82?

He was later traded to Minnesota for a second-round pick.

The 1982 'Save the Caps' campaign fought a proposed relocation triggered by what?

The tax measure was defeated on November 4, 1982, and a playoff turnaround ended the talk for good.

Which defenseman, named captain weeks later, arrived from Montreal in David Poile's 1982 blockbuster?

Ryan Walter and Rick Green went the other way; Langway's No. 5 is one of four retired numbers.

Which future superstar went to Quebec in 1987 for Clint Malarchuk and a future captain?

Clint Malarchuk came too; Hunter's No. 32 was later retired in Washington.

Which two stars went to Minnesota in 1989 for Dino Ciccarelli and Bob Rouse?

Gartner and Murphy are both Hall of Famers who played five-plus seasons in Washington.

Whose 1993 hit on Pierre Turgeon earned a 21-game suspension?

It came seconds after Turgeon's goal made it 6-1 for the Islanders.

Which Penguin ended the Capitals' 1996 season with a fourth-overtime goal in Game 6?

Pittsburgh knocked Washington out in both 1995 and 1996, once after a 3-1 Caps series lead.

Which three stars did Washington get from Boston in a 1996-97 trade for Allison, Carey and Carter?

Poile was fired anyway when the team missed the 1997 playoffs.

Which team swept the Capitals in the 1998 Stanley Cup Final?

Esa Tikkanen's miss on an open net in Game 2 became the series' turning point.

Which three Capitals each hit their 1,000th career point in 1997-98, an NHL one-season first?

Peter Bondra led the team with 52 goals that year.

Ted Leonsis, who bought the Capitals in 1999, made his fortune at which company?

His Monumental Sports & Entertainment later took over both the Capitals and the Wizards.

Jaromir Jagr's 2001 Capitals contract was worth how much over seven years?

At $11 million a year it was the largest deal in NHL history to that point.

Which team did Washington beat in the 2004 draft lottery to land Alexander Ovechkin?

Pittsburgh had the worst record and settled for Evgeni Malkin at No. 2.

Ovechkin became the first rookie since whom to score 50 goals in a season?

His 52 goals and 106 points won the 2006 Calder Trophy.

Which Hershey Bears coach replaced Glen Hanlon in November 2007 and won the Jack Adams Award?

Washington won 11 of its last 12 to become the first team to make the playoffs from 14th or lower at midseason.

Ovechkin's January 2008 extension was worth $124 million over how many years?

Only Rick DiPietro's 15-year deal was longer at the time.

In 2007-08 Ovechkin became the first player to win which four awards in one season?

He scored 65 goals; Mike Green led all defensemen with 18.

Which defenseman set a record in 2008-09 with goals in eight straight games?

He led NHL defensemen in goals and points that season.

Which eighth seed upset the 121-point Presidents' Trophy Capitals in 2010?

Washington blew a 3-1 series lead in the process.

Whose overtime goal in Game 7 eliminated the defending-champion Bruins in 2012?

Every game of that series was decided by a single goal, an NHL first for a series that long.

Which Capitals legend took over behind the bench when the coach was fired in November 2011?

He stepped down after one season and was succeeded by Adam Oates.

Whose franchise points record did Ovechkin pass in November 2014?

It came in his 691st NHL game, against Calgary.

Where did the Capitals beat Chicago 3-2 in the 2015 Winter Classic?

They had also won the 2011 Winter Classic at Heinz Field against Pittsburgh.

Which winger did the Capitals acquire from St. Louis in 2015 for Troy Brouwer and Pheonix Copley?

Washington then won two straight Presidents' Trophies in 2016 and 2017.

Whose overtime goal in Game 6 of 2018 finally got the Capitals past Pittsburgh?

It was their first series win over the Penguins in 24 seasons.

Whom did Washington beat in five games to win the 2018 Stanley Cup?

It was D.C.'s first major-league title since Super Bowl XXVI, 26 years earlier.

Which coach resigned weeks after winning the 2018 Cup when extension talks broke down?

He was hired by the Islanders within the month; Todd Reirden replaced him.

Which veteran goalie signed with Washington in 2020 but never played a game because of a heart condition?

Zdeno Chara arrived the same offseason as Holtby left in free agency.

In 2023 Ted Leonsis explored moving the Capitals and Wizards to an arena where in Virginia?

The $2 billion plan collapsed and Mayor Muriel Bowser signed a deal keeping both teams in D.C. until at least 2050.

Ovechkin broke Wayne Gretzky's regular-season goal record with which goal number?

It came in a 4-1 loss to the Islanders on April 6, 2025.

Which Swedish club did Nicklas Backstrom rejoin after leaving the Capitals in 2025?

He had come to Washington as the fourth overall pick in 2006.

The blue, black and copper 1995 redesign put which bird on the Capitals' crest?

The blue, black and copper look was replaced by a return to red, white and blue in 2007.

The three stars in the Capitals logo reintroduced in 2007 represent what?

They echo the flag of Washington, D.C., itself based on George Washington's family arms.

What number does Slapshot, the Capitals' eagle mascot, wear?

He has been the mascot since 1995 and was named by a fifth grader.

Which four numbers had the Capitals retired by the end of the 2024–25 season?

They honour Langway, Yvon Labre, Gartner and Hunter.

Capital One Arena opened in 1997 under what name?

It became Verizon Center in 2006 and Capital One Arena in 2017.

Capital One Arena sits atop which Washington Metro station?

The arena is in the Chinatown section of Penn Quarter.

Which university's Hoyas share Capital One Arena with the Capitals?

The Wizards play there too; the Mystics left for southeast D.C. in 2019.

How many Rocket Richard Trophies, a record, had Ovechkin won by the end of 2024–25?

He also held the record for 40-goal seasons with 14 at that point.

Ovechkin's mother, Tatyana, won two Olympic gold medals in which sport?

She won in 1976 and 1980; his father Mikhail was a soccer player.

Which NHL player was young Ovechkin's idol, whose cards he kept stashed in his room?

His favourite team growing up was the San Jose Sharks.

How many straight games did the Capitals go without a win during the 1975-76 season?

They allowed 394 goals and finished 11-59-10; GM Milt Schmidt resigned mid-season and Tom McVie took over as coach.

Whom did the Capitals beat 3-1 at Heinz Field in the 2011 Winter Classic?

Washington topped the Eastern Conference with 107 points that season but was swept by Tampa Bay in the second round.

In which Arlington neighbourhood have the Capitals practised since 2006?

The facility is known as the MedStar Capitals Iceplex.