Dale Hunter’s Tenure Comes To An End : May 15, 2012

The Washington Capitals have completed a playoffs where they came oh so close to that elusive first conference final place since 1998. Still, they were just about denied by the...

Perspective For Washington Is They Have Not Improved : May 13, 2012

The Washington Capitals fell to the Tampa Bay Lightning as the East's top seed in the second round of the 2011 NHL playoffs. After an offseason of makeover and then...

All Eyes On Washington-Rangers : May 12, 2012

The NHL has had to wait, but tonight it gets its climax of the second round as the Washington Capitals and the New York Rangers face-off in Game 7 of...

Who Will Shine In Rangers-Capitals Game 7? : May 11, 2012

The New York Rangers and the Washington Capitals play in a critical Game 7 on Saturday night. The winner will be playing in Game 1 of the Eastern conference final...

Washington Frustrating Opposition Again : May 07, 2012

From Dan Girardi's angry post-game comments about a hit by Alex Ovechkin to John Tortorella's less than 30 second press conference, the signs of frustration were more than...

Washington Need To Press Home Advantage Against Rangers : May 02, 2012

Dale Hunter's coaching style is not easy on the eye. It may be downright foolish as sitting back and allowing the other team to attack you is a dangerous strategy....

Ovechkin Steps Up; Scores Game Winner For Washington : May 01, 2012

The stories surrounding the Washington Capitals and their postseason have not all been particularly favourable to Alexander Ovechkin. Dale Hunter's ultra defensive style combined with Ovechkin's low minutes have really...

NHL Playoffs Preview: New York Rangers v Washington Capitals : April 28, 2012

The second round of the 2012 NHL playoffs gets well under way today as the Eastern conference half of the draw starts up. There is an afternoon tilt when the...

Holtby Stands Tall And Downs Bruins : April 26, 2012

The Washington Capitals entered their first round series against the Boston Bruins knowing that they would need a pretty great performance from rookie goaltender Braden Holtby if they were going...

Bruins Come Through In The Clutch Again : April 24, 2012

In many ways, the Boston Bruins have been outdone in their first round series against the lower seeded Washington Capitals. The 2012 NHL playoffs have been filled with surprises, but...

Defending Champions Boston Fall Behind Against Washington : April 22, 2012

The Boston Bruins have only had the lead in games during the series for roughly 15 minutes of playing time, but for the first time after Game 5, they are...

Home Ice Is Vital For Washington and Detroit : April 15, 2012

There has been an article up on NHL.com this morning that talks about the unimportance of home ice advantage in the postseason so far. They are undoubtedly alluding to a...

NHL Playoffs Preview: Boston Bruins v Washington Capitals : April 11, 2012

The NHL playoffs kick off on Wednesday. Few things are more exciting than the two months of NHL playoff action, the eight series all have their stories to tell. The...

How Much Will Washington Enjoy The Underdog Tag? : April 08, 2012

The Washington Capitals are in the playoffs for the fifth straight year. If Capitals' fans had been told five years ago when the team reached the postseason in 2007-08 for...

Dale Hunter’s Scrappiness Finally Wearing Off On Washington? : March 30, 2012

A person could have been forgiven for feeling confused and absolutely furious at the Washington Capitals' performance in a 5-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday. This was supposed...

Sabres-Capitals Highlight Another Big Night : March 27, 2012

Most eyes in the NHL will be on the nation's capital tonight as the Washington Capitals host the Buffalo Sabres in a game that could be absolutely critical to the...

Green Missing Again : March 10, 2012

Just when the Washington Capitals thought they had their top defenseman Mike Green back from history, they have lost him for another three games. Mike Green has been suspended for...

Florida’s Title Not Certain In Southeast : March 04, 2012

The Florida Panthers have a good chance to claim their first playoff berth since 2000, and it looks like there is a very good chance that they could also win...

Goaltending Struggles Holding Eastern Teams Back : February 23, 2012

Philadelphia and Washington both made big goaltending additions during the last offseason, which looked set to make them serious contenders in the Eastern conference and for the Stanley Cup. The...

Knuble Frustration Epitomises Capitals : February 15, 2012

Mike Knuble has always been known as a classy professional, a veteran and an excellent team mate. His leadership and intangibles have always been part and parcel of a player...

Mike Green Finally Working Way Back? : February 03, 2012

Mike Green skated in full gear at Washington's practice facility on Thursday, and there are signs that he is finally on the road to full recovery. Green has not finished...

Shanahan Suspends Ovechkin : January 24, 2012

NHL executive for the department of player safety Brendan Shanahan continued to prove himself as the league's disciplinarian tonight when he suspended Washington forward, and NHL superstar Alex Ovechkin for...

Washington Celebrate Defensive Style? : January 19, 2012

The Washington Capitals secured an important 3-0 win over Montreal on Wednesday night. It was a win that moved them to the top of the Southeast division and it emphasised...

Pittsburgh and Washington In Unfamiliar Positions : January 12, 2012

The rivalry between Pittsburgh and Washington has been one of the most enjoyable to watch since the lockout. Few will forget their incredible seven-game series in the 2009 playoffs. The...

Alexander Ovechkin Returns To Form : January 05, 2012

Washington Capitals' captain and premier player Alexander Ovechkin has drawn a lot of headlines during his career so far. In his first five season, those headlines were almost exclusively focused...

Hunter’s Washington Still Looking For Answers : December 27, 2011

After a sub-par start to the season, the Washington Capitals would have hoped to have turned over a new leaf following the Christmas break. However, conceding four goals in the...

Karl Alzner, John Carlson Performing for Capitals Again : December 17, 2011

Last season rookie defensemen John Carlson and Karl Alzner earned rave reviews for their strong performance as the Capitals shutdown pair, and for their part in turning around what was...

Washington Capitals at the top of NHL Standings : October 24, 2011

Just over 2 weeks into the 2011/12 NHL Season, the Washington Capitals have begun the year a perfect 7-0-0. Their latest win came against a previous unbeaten team--the Detroit RedWings,...

Five Teams Under Pressure For The 2011/12 Season : October 03, 2011

The Preseason has ended for many of the NHL teams, and it is time to look at 5 teams that will be under immense pressure during the 2011/12 NHL season. #5...

Washington Capitals Believe Vokoun Is Their Key To A Stanley Cup : September 12, 2011

The Washington Capitals have achieved great regular season success the last few years, however, the Capitals remain to disappoint in the Playoffs. GM George McPhee made goaltending his highest priority during...

washington capitals History

The National Hockey League (NHL) team the Washington Capitals are based out of Washington, D.C. The team plays in the Eastern Conference's Southeast Division. The Capitals were founded in 1974. In 1988-89, Washington won their conference championship and reached the Stanley Cup Finals. The team has won a total of 7 division championships and 1 President Trophy in 2009-10 for being the team to score the most points during the regular season.

The Washington Capitals and Kansas City Scouts joined the NHL as expansion teams in 1974-75. Abe Pollin (who also owned the Washington Bullets of the NBA) was the owner of the Capitals until he died in 2009. Throughout the 1970s into the early 1980s, Washington struggled. Then in 1982 the team pulled off a big trade with the Montreal Canadiens which helped to turn the franchise around. In 1983, the Capitals made the playoffs for the first time and appeared in the post season for 14 years in a row. In 1997-98, Washington was the Eastern Conference championship. The Capitals made it into the Stanley Cup finals before being swept by the Detroit Red Wings in four games.

The Capitals in 1997 moved from Capital Centre in the suburbs to the Verizon Center in the Chinatown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Since 1999 the team has been owned by Ted Leonsis, a former AOL executive. He has helped to revitalize the franchise through the drafting of star players like Alexander Semin, Mike Green, Nicklas Backstrom and Alexander Ovechkin as well as hiring Bruce Boudreau as the team's head coach.