List of Washington Capitals seasons

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Banners at the Capital One Arena showing the Capitals' retired numbers Washington Capitals retired numbers red.jpg
Banners at the Capital One Arena showing the Capitals' retired numbers

The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The team is a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Capitals played at the Capital Centre from their inaugural season in 1974 to 1997, when they moved to the MCI Center, now known as the Capital One Arena. In 49 completed seasons, the Capitals have qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs 33 times, making two Stanley Cup Finals appearances during the 1997–98 and 2017–18 seasons, winning the latter.

Contents

The Capitals were founded in 1974 as an expansion team in the Prince of Wales Conference. The team had an 8–67–5 record and lost 37 straight road games in their inaugural season. [1] The Capitals made their first playoffs in the 1982–83 season and qualified for the playoffs for the following 13 seasons in a row. The Capitals won the Eastern Conference during their 1997–98 season but were swept by the Detroit Red Wings in the 1998 Stanley Cup Finals. [2]

After reaching the Finals, the Capitals were assigned to the Southeast Division, in which they remained in for 15 years, until an NHL division realignment brought them into the newly formed Metropolitan Division in 2013. Through these times, the Capitals won three Presidents' Trophies in the 2009–10, 2015–16 and 2016–17 seasons, [3] before finally winning their first Stanley Cup in the 2017–18 season after 42 seasons (not counting the cancelled 2004–05 season).

Table key

Alex Ovechkin raising the Stanley Cup during the Capitals' 2018 championship ceremony on the National Mall Alex Ovechkin with Stanley Cup.jpg
Alex Ovechkin raising the Stanley Cup during the Capitals' 2018 championship ceremony on the National Mall
Key of colors and symbols
Color/symbolExplanation
Stanley Cup champions
Conference champions
Division champions
# Led league in points
Key of terms and abbreviations
Term or abbreviationDefinition
FinishFinal position in division or league standings
GPNumber of games played
WNumber of wins
LNumber of losses
TNumber of ties
OTNumber of losses in overtime (since the 1999–2000 season)
PtsNumber of points
GFGoals for (goals scored by the Capitals)
GAGoals against (goals scored by the Capitals' opponents)
Does not apply

Year by year

Year by year listing of all seasons played by the Washington Capitals
NHL season Capitals season Conference Division Regular season [4] [5] Postseason
FinishGPWLT OT Pts GFGAGPWLOTGFGAResult
1974–75 1974–75 Wales Norris 5th80867521181446Did not qualify
1975–76 1975–76 WalesNorris5th8011591032224394Did not qualify
1976–77 1976–77 WalesNorris4th8024421462221307Did not qualify
1977–78 1977–78 WalesNorris5th8017491448195321Did not qualify
1978–79 1978–79 WalesNorris4th8024411563273338Did not qualify
1979–80 1979–80 Campbell Patrick 5th8027401367261293Did not qualify
1980–81 1980–81 CampbellPatrick5th8026361870286317Did not qualify
1981–82 1981–82 WalesPatrick5th8026411365319338Did not qualify
1982–83 1982–83 WalesPatrick3rd80392516943062834131119Lost division semifinals to New York Islanders, 1–3 [6]
1983–84 1983–84 WalesPatrick2nd80482751013082268442825Won division semifinals vs. Philadelphia Flyers, 3–0
Lost division finals to New York Islanders, 1–4 [7]
1984–85 1984–85 WalesPatrick2nd80462591013222405231214Lost division semifinals to New York Islanders, 2–3 [8]
1985–86 1985–86 WalesPatrick2nd80502371073152729543624Won division semifinals vs. New York Islanders, 3–0
Lost division finals to New York Rangers, 2–4 [9]
1986–87 1986–87 WalesPatrick2nd80383210862852787341919Lost division semifinals to New York Islanders, 3–4 [10]
1987–88 1987–88 WalesPatrick2nd80383398528124914775450Won division semifinals vs. Philadelphia Flyers, 4–3
Lost division finals to New Jersey Devils, 3–4 [11]
1988–89 1988–89 WalesPatrick1st80412910923052596241825Lost division semifinals to Philadelphia Flyers, 2–4 [12]
1989–90 1989–90 WalesPatrick3rd80363867828427515874948Won division semifinals vs. New Jersey Devils, 4–2
Won division finals vs. New York Rangers, 4–1
Lost conference finals to Boston Bruins, 0–4 [13]
1990–91 1990–91 WalesPatrick3rd80373678125825811562935Won division semifinals vs. New York Rangers, 4–2
Lost division finals to Pittsburgh Penguins, 1–4 [14]
1991–92 1991–92 WalesPatrick2nd8045278983302757342725Lost division semifinals to Pittsburgh Penguins, 3–4 [15]
1992–93 1992–93 [a] WalesPatrick2nd8443347933252866241523Lost division semifinals to New York Islanders, 2–4 [16]
1993–94 1993–94 Eastern [b] Atlantic 3rd843935108827726311563232Won conference quarterfinals vs. Pittsburgh Penguins, 4–2
Lost conference semifinals to New York Rangers, 1–4 [17]
1994–95 1994–95 [c] EasternAtlantic2nd4822188521361207341017Lost conference quarterfinals to Pittsburgh Penguins, 3–4 [18]
1995–96 1995–96 EasternAtlantic4th82393211892342046241721Lost conference quarterfinals to Pittsburgh Penguins, 2–4 [19]
1996–97 1996–97 EasternAtlantic5th823340975214231Did not qualify
1997–98 1997–98 EasternAtlantic3rd8240301292219202211295344Won conference quarterfinals vs. Boston Bruins, 4–2
Won conference semifinals vs. Ottawa Senators, 4–1
Won conference finals vs. Buffalo Sabres, 4–2
Lost Stanley Cup Finals to Detroit Red Wings, 0–4 [20]
1998–99 1998–99 Eastern Southeast [g] 3rd823145668200218Did not qualify
1999–2000 1999–2000 EasternSoutheast1st824424122 [d] 102227194514615Lost conference quarterfinals to Pittsburgh Penguins, 1–4 [21]
2000–01 2000–01 EasternSoutheast1st824127104962332116241014Lost conference quarterfinals to Pittsburgh Penguins, 2–4 [22]
2001–02 2001–02 EasternSoutheast2nd82363311285228240Did not qualify
2002–03 2002–03 EasternSoutheast2nd82392986922242206241514Lost conference quarterfinals to Tampa Bay Lightning, 2–4 [23]
2003–04 2003–04 EasternSoutheast5th82234610359186253Did not qualify
2004–05 [e] 2004–05 EasternSoutheastSeason cancelled due to 2004–05 NHL lockout
2005–06 2005–06 EasternSoutheast5th822941 [f] 1270237306Did not qualify
2006–07 2006–07 EasternSoutheast5th8228401470235286Did not qualify
2007–08 2007–08 EasternSoutheast1st8243318942422317342023Lost conference quarterfinals to Philadelphia Flyers, 3–4 [24]
2008–09 2008–09 EasternSoutheast1st825024810827224514774138Won conference quarterfinals vs. New York Rangers, 4–3
Lost conference semifinals to Pittsburgh Penguins, 3–4 [25]
2009–10 2009–10 EasternSoutheast1st82541513121#3182337342220Lost conference quarterfinals to Montreal Canadiens, 3–4 [26]
2010–11 2010–11 EasternSoutheast1st824823111072241979452324Won conference quarterfinals vs. New York Rangers, 4–1
Lost conference semifinals to Tampa Bay Lightning, 0–4 [27]
2011–12 2011–12 EasternSoutheast2nd82423289222223014772830Won conference quarterfinals vs. Boston Bruins, 4–3
Lost conference semifinals to New York Rangers, 3–4 [28]
2012–13 [h] 2012–13 EasternSoutheast1st4827183571491307341315Lost conference quarterfinals to New York Rangers, 3–4 [29]
2013–14 2013–14 Eastern Metropolitan [i] 5th8238301490235240Did not qualify
2014–15 2014–15 EasternMetropolitan2nd8245261110124220314772828Won first round vs. New York Islanders, 4–3
Lost second round to New York Rangers, 3–4 [30]
2015–16 2015–16 EasternMetropolitan1st8256188120#25219312662922Won first round vs. Philadelphia Flyers, 4–2
Lost second round to Pittsburgh Penguins, 2–4 [31]
2016–17 2016–17 EasternMetropolitan1st8255198118#26318213763634Won first round vs. Toronto Maple Leafs, 4–2
Lost second round to Pittsburgh Penguins, 3–4
2017–18 2017–18 EasternMetropolitan1st8249267105259239241688661Won first round vs. Columbus Blue Jackets, 4–2
Won second round vs. Pittsburgh Penguins, 4–2
Won conference finals vs. Tampa Bay Lightning, 4–3
Won Stanley Cup Finals vs. Vegas Golden Knights, 4–1
2018–19 2018–19 EasternMetropolitan1st82482681042782497342021Lost first round to Carolina Hurricanes, 3–4
2019–20 2019–20 EasternMetropolitan1st69412089024021582511324Finished third in seeding round-robin (1–1–1)
Lost first round to New York Islanders, 1–4
2020–21 2020–21 East 2nd5636155771911635141016Lost first round to Boston Bruins, 1–4
2021–22 2021–22 EasternMetropolitan4th824426121002752456241920Lost first round to Florida Panthers, 2–4
2022–23 2022–23 EasternMetropolitan6th8235371080255265Did not qualify
2023–24 2023–24 EasternMetropolitan4th8240311191220257404715Lost first round to New York Rangers, 0–4
Totals [32] [33] 3,8791,8191,5613031964,13712,26612,320305140164186287233 playoff appearances

Notes

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