The Hershey Bears are a professional ice hockey team based in Hershey, Pennsylvania , a town located 14 miles east of the state capital of Harrisburg . The current Bears club has played in the American Hockey League since the 1938–39 season, making it the longest continuously operating member club of the league still playing in its original city.
160-724: The Bears organization has served as the primary development club for the NHL's Washington Capitals since 2005-06 . Since 2002–03 , the hockey club's home games have been played at Giant Center , located less than half a mile west of Hersheypark Arena , the AHL club's previous home from 1938 to 2002. (The arena was also the home to the EAHL Hershey Bears from 1936 to 1938.) The Bears have won 13 Calder Cups , more than any other AHL team. They won their most recent title in 2024 . Chocolate manufacturer Milton S. Hershey first established
320-531: A 1–0 shutout in Game 3, with Jay Beagle scoring the game's only goal, which was then followed by another 2–1 victory in Game 4. After Washington held a 3–1 series lead, the Rangers would then cut the series lead to 3–2 after scoring the game-tying goal and the game-winning overtime goal in Game 5. The Rangers then tied the series with a 4–3 victory in Game 6 to force a Game 7 at Madison Square Garden. Both teams scored
480-731: A 21-year span with the Boston Bruins , the Philadelphia Flyers , and the Colorado Avalanche . (The club has also had earlier NHL affiliations with the Bruins, Pittsburgh Penguins , and Buffalo Sabres .) As of the 2009–2010 Calder Cup Finals, the Bears have played in 22 Finals series, a league record. The Bears went back-to-back in 2008–2010 to win their 10th and 11th Calder Cups, winning their most recent cup versus
640-459: A 29–41–12 campaign, earning 12 more points than the 2003–04 season, good for 27th out of the 30 NHL teams. The team, however, played close in every game, playing in 42 one-goal games, although losing two-thirds of those games. Ovechkin's rookie season exceeded the hype, as he led all 2005–06 NHL rookies in goals, points, power-play goals and shots. He finished third overall in the NHL in scoring and tied for third in goals, and his 425 shots not only led
800-533: A 3–1 series lead. However, the Bears were unable to finish the job and were forced back to the Giant Center for Game 7. The Bears trailed throughout the game, but managed to tie it with a goal from Graham Mink just over two minutes remaining. In overtime, the Bears finished with a goal by Eric Fehr , to win the series 4–3. On June 15, 2006, The Bears won the Calder Cup by a series mark of 4–2, defeating
960-702: A Bear are 219 more than Kullman's second overall 753 in a Hershey uniform. In 1972 his jersey number eight also became the first to ever be retired by the Bears. Although it was more than a decade before the Calder Cup returned to Hershey, during the first half of the 1960s five key players joined the club who would each stay from anywhere from seven to nine seasons: defensemen Barry Ashbee (1962–70) and Ralph Keller (1963-72), and forwards Roger DeJordy (1962–70), Michel Harvey (1963-71) and Gil Gilbert (1965–72). Together they would eventually account for 2,654 games played, 710 goals, 1,251 assists, and 1,961 points as Bears. While these five and league MVP Mike Nykoluk all helped
1120-562: A Bear is also second only to Nykoluk's 972. From 1950 to 1956 the Bears were coached by a pair of former Boston Bruin defensemen: Johnny Crawford (1950–52), who guided Hershey to another division title in 1951–52, followed by player-coach Murray Henderson (1952–56). In 1953–54, center George "Red" Sullivan became the second Bear to win a scoring title and the first to be named the league's MVP, collecting 119 points (30-89) in 69 games to set an AHL regular-season scoring record which stood for almost thirty years, while his 89 assists that season
1280-480: A bear's head in burgundy and black with the initials HB . In the advent of the 2007–08 season, all of the teams of the American Hockey League unveiled newly designed Reebok Edge uniforms, including the Bears. At this time they unveiled an updated version of the "old school" jerseys with the word Bears written diagonally in black on a white home jersey and the word Hershey written in white on
1440-439: A career-best 33 assists, Matt Pettinger putting in a career-best 20-goal, 38-point effort and seven others on the relatively young team topping 20 points for the first time. Two notable landmarks were also hit by Capitals, as the team's longest-tenured player, Olaf Kolzig, won his 250th game in goal, and Andrew Cassels became the 204th player to play 1,000 games, although he did not finish his season with Washington. A notable first
1600-557: A career-winning percentage of .539. His successor was former Bears' winger Chuck Hamilton (1973–79) who had spent seven seasons playing for Hershey from 1963 to 1970. In his first season as the Bears' coach Hamilton led a relatively inexperienced squad including nine rookies to a fifth Calder Cup title losing only two games in the playoffs' three rounds in which they were victorious against the Cincinnati Swords (4-1), Baltimore Clippers (4-0), and Providence Reds (4-1) with
1760-462: A circle filled in tan and outlined in dark brown on the primary logo. Before their move to the Giant Center in 2002, the Hershey Bears wore simpler uniforms with the colors of chocolate brown and white. The previous logo used a silhouette of a skating bear with a hockey stick in brown centered in a white, ovular shield outlined in brown. For their move to the Giant Center, the Bears unveiled
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#17327718521151920-612: A conference final and the first time in 24 seasons that they had defeated the Penguins in playoff series. The Capitals advanced to the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals on May 23, after beating the top-seeded Tampa Bay Lightning in seven games after a 4–0 rout at Amalie Arena in Tampa. They then faced the expansion Vegas Golden Knights and overcame them in five games, including a 4–3 win in the decisive game five at T-Mobile Arena after Lars Eller scored with about seven minutes to go. Not only
2080-827: A deal with both teams' majority owner, Ted Leonsis, to keep the Capitals and Wizards in the District "at least until 2050." The Capitals clinched a 2024 playoffs berth by beating the Philadelphia Flyers on April 16, finishing with a 40–31–11 record and the second wild card spot. They were swept by the Presidents' Trophy-winning New York Rangers in the first round. On July 8, 2024, the Capitals announced that Chris Patrick would be promoted to general manager, with MacLellan retaining his position as president of hockey operations. The team practiced for many years at
2240-482: A few points out of the Stanley Cup playoffs ; in 1980 and 1981 , for instance, they were in playoff contention until the last day of the season. The one bright spot during these years of futility was that many of McNab's draft picks (e.g., Rick Green , Ryan Walter , Mike Gartner , Bengt Gustafsson , Gaetan Duchesne , and Bobby Carpenter ) would impact the team for years to come, either as important members of
2400-426: A few weeks later), Brian Engblom , Doug Jarvis and Craig Laughlin . This move turned the franchise around, as Langway's solid defense helped the team to dramatically reduce its goals-against, and the explosive goal-scoring of Dennis Maruk , Mike Gartner and Bobby Carpenter fueled the offensive attack. Another significant move was the drafting of defenseman Scott Stevens during the 1982 NHL Entry Draft (the pick
2560-542: A goal by Joe Juneau) en route to the team's first Stanley Cup Finals appearance. The Capitals won six overtime games, three in each of their series against the Bruins and Sabres. However, the team was outmatched by the defending champions, the Detroit Red Wings , who won in a four-game sweep. That same season, Oates, Phil Housley and Hunter all scored their 1,000th career point, the only time in NHL history that one team had three players reach that same milestone in
2720-444: A goal during regulation time in Game 7, but the Capitals would lose the game and the series in overtime via a Derek Stepan goal. In the 2015–16 season , the Capitals finished in first place in the league with a record of 56–18–8 and 120 points. In the first round of the 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs , they would face the Philadelphia Flyers . The Capitals won the first three games of the series and were looking for their first sweep in
2880-576: A half century as a player, coach, and manager. The popularity of these amateur hockey matches prompted chocolate-maker and amusement park operator Milton Hershey and his long-time entertainment and amusements chief, John B. Sollenberger , to bring pro hockey to Hershey by sponsoring a permanent team. To that end, Mr. Hershey established the Hershey Hockey Club (now called the Hershey Bears Hockey Club) in 1932, which
3040-495: A league record for most wins under a 72-game season (53), a franchise record in point percentage (.771), a franchise record (53-14-0-5), and total points (111) They later went on to eliminate the Cleveland Monsters in 7 games, setting up a rematch from the previous season's finals, winning in six games to win their 13th Calder Cup. The colors of the Hershey Bears are dark brown, medium brown, tan, and white (though
3200-493: A linemate of Jagr's from Pittsburgh. Washington returned to the playoffs in 2003 , but disappointed fans again by losing in six games to the Tampa Bay Lightning after starting off with a two-game lead in the best-of-seven first-round series. The series is well-remembered for the three-overtime Game 6 at the then– MCI Center . At the time it was the longest game in the building's history and was eventually decided by
3360-569: A loss to the Islanders in the Patrick Division Semifinals. This series was capped off by the classic Easter Epic game, which ended at 1:56 am on Easter Sunday 1987. The Capitals had thoroughly dominated most of the game, outshooting the Islanders 75–52, but lost in overtime when goaltender Bob Mason was beaten on a Pat LaFontaine shot from the blue line. For the 1989 playoff push, Gartner and Murphy were traded to
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#17327718521153520-511: A maroon away jersey. Both jerseys featured black on both sides, the Washington Capitals logo on one shoulder and the classic "skating bear' oval logo on the other shoulder. Hershey overhauled their uniforms before the 2012–13 season. The home uniform includes a white jersey with chocolate brown and tan striping. The Bears' primary logo is centered on the front. The shoulder logos feature a stylized bear-foot print. The away jersey
3680-410: A new AHL record for consecutive home victories at 24. Hershey went without a loss at GIANT Center from November 29, 2009, to March 19, 2010. Hershey has set an AHL mark for consecutive playoff series victories, with eight wins in a row. Besting the record shared with the 2005–2007 Bears and the 1990–1992 Springfield Indians . In 2006 the Hershey Bears, with new head coach Bruce Boudreau , returned to
3840-464: A new identity-its team colors being burgundy, black, gold, and silver. The primary logo was a maroon bear, outlined in black, swatting a hockey puck centered below the Hershey Bears wordmark. The wordmark was a horizontal gradient using gold and burgundy outlined in black, with the Hershey part centered on a rectangular outline designed to resemble a Hershey's candy bar. The alternate logo consisted of
4000-430: A new trainer, Bears' GM Frank Mathers offered him that job. With Murray's promotion to Washington a month later elevated Inness the eleventh coach in the Bears' history. Inness would remain behind the Hershey bench until December, 1984, when Frank Mathers returned to that post on an interim basis for the first time since 1973 and coached the club until then recently retired Hall of Fame Flyer winger Bill Barber took over for
4160-640: A planned arena in Potomac Yard in Alexandria, Virginia , by 2028. The structure would be part of an arts and entertainment district at the site, which would include a practice facility, restaurants, an esports venue, concert hall, and a new headquarters for Monumental. In March 2024, after officials in Alexandria announced that the $ 2 billion entertainment and sports complex plans were scrapped, Washington mayor Muriel Bowser announced she has signed
4320-519: A power-play goal by Tampa Bay. In the 2003–04 season , the Caps unloaded much of their high-priced talent – not just a cost-cutting spree, but also an acknowledgment that their attempt to build a contender with high-priced veteran talent had failed. Jagr had never lived up to expectations during his time with the Capitals, failing to finish among the league's top scorers or make the postseason All-Star team . The Caps tried to trade Jagr, but as only one year
4480-409: A proposal by Father David Bauer which established a permanent national men's team composed of student athletes reinforced with senior hockey players. Hockey Canada was formed in 1969 to operate the national team and oversee Canada's involvement in international competition. The CAHA and Hockey Canada had a troubled relationship since a clear definition of responsibilities was never established, and
4640-662: A regulated relationship between amateur and professional hockey. The CAHA filled the role of selecting the Canada men's national ice hockey team to represent the country in ice hockey at the Olympic Games and at the Ice Hockey World Championships . From 1920 until 1963, the CAHA usually chose the reigning Allan Cup champion to represent the country. For the 1964 Winter Olympics , the CAHA approved
4800-411: A result of these signings, there was much more hope for the 2007–08 season and players were looking towards the playoffs. After starting the season 6–14–1, the Capitals fired head coach Glen Hanlon and replaced him with Hershey Bears head coach Bruce Boudreau on Thanksgiving Day 2007. On January 10, 2008, the Capitals signed Ovechkin to an NHL-record $ 124 million contract extension at 13 years,
4960-540: A rink at Piney Orchard, Maryland , when they played at the Capital Centre in Landover. They continued to practice at that rink for several years after moving to Capital One Arena in downtown Washington . However, following his purchase of the team in 1999, Ted Leonsis made plans to open a new practice facility. In 2006, the new facility opened on top of a renovated parking garage and entertainment center, known as
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5120-561: A second-place tie with the New York Islanders in the Metropolitan Division during the 2014–15 season and held home-ice advantage in the first-round playoff series between the two, as they had defeated the Islanders in the season series with two home wins and two road overtime losses (in comparison, the Islanders had two home wins, one road loss and one road shootout loss). The teams split the first four games of
5280-437: A single season. This series is also famous for Esa Tikkanen 's missed open net goal in Game 2. After their 1998 championship run, the Capitals finished the 1998–99 season with a record of 31–45–6 and failed to qualify for the playoffs. During the season, the team was sold to a group headed by AOL executive Ted Leonsis . The Capitals went on to win back-to-back Southeast Division titles in 2000 and 2001, yet both years lost in
5440-539: A small, 60x170-foot rink) into the newly constructed 7,286-seat Hersheypark Arena (then known as the "Hershey Sports Arena") built immediately adjacent to the older venue. Over the next 66 seasons, Bears' teams played a total of 2,280 EAHL and AHL regular season and playoff games at the Hersheypark Arena, which served as the home to hockey in Hershey from 1936 to 2002. Since 2002, the Bears have used Hersheypark Arena as their practice arena only. The Bears won
5600-671: A then league record 50 regular-season games and swept all three of its playoff series for an unblemished postseason record of 12-0 and a seventh Calder Cup title. After an unexpectedly slow 3-7-0 start, goalie Wendell Young was returned to Hershey from the Flyers and went 33-15-3 with a 2.77 GAA while rookie Darryl Gilmour appeared in 25 games compiling a 14-7-0 record and 3.68 average. Along with veterans such as Bears' leading scorer center Mitch Lamoureux , wingers Al Hill , Don Nachbaur , Kevin Maxwell, and defensemen Steve Smith and Dave Fenvyes,
5760-487: A total of 125 of the Bears' 329 goals while center Mitch Lamoureux also finished in the top ten with 43 goals and 46 assists for 89 points good for fourth overall in the league. Tookey's 124 points (51 goals, 73 assists) also established a still-standing single-season record for a Hershey player, made him the seventh Bear to win the AHL's scoring title, and just the third to win the Les Cunningham Plaque as
5920-688: A very good account of themselves in their first IAHL campaign, winning the West Division with a 31–18–5 record—the first of 16 regular-season division titles. However, they were defeated in the first round of the Calder Cup playoffs by the New York Rangers ' top farm team, the Philadelphia Ramblers , three-games-to-two. Defenseman Herb Kalbfleisch became the first Hershey player to be named a First Team All Star that year while goalie Alfie Moore took Second Team honors behind
6080-707: Is WJFK-FM (106.7 FM); commentators are John Walton and Ken Sabourin . The team's radio network consists of stations in Washington, Virginia , Maryland , West Virginia , Pennsylvania , and North Carolina . Mike Vogel has been covering the team online for the Washington Capitals on its website since the 1995–96 season, writing daily game stories and analysis. Vogel, who also participates in podcasts and in-stadium video presentations as well as guesting on various Washington DC radio and television programs, has been described as "the most interesting man in Caps media". WTOP-TV (channel 9) picked up television coverage for
6240-407: Is chocolate brown with white shoulders and tan stripes near the bottom of the sweater. The current third jersey features a cursive style Hershey wording, above the number on the front, in a dark tan color. The Bears current uniforms are similar to those of the 2012–13 jerseys, the uniforms consist of the Capitals eagle logo instead of both bear paws on the jersey, making the stripes larger, and making
6400-596: Is now the oldest such continuously operating professional ice hockey management organization (the players themselves were ostensibly amateurs during the first few years) in North America outside of those operating the " Original Six " clubs of the National Hockey League in Montreal, Toronto, Boston, New York, Chicago, and Detroit, which were all established in or before 1926. The first hockey team
6560-399: Is still an AHL record six decades later. Although never an All Star, another player to briefly skate in Hershey during this era was Don "Grapes" Cherry who as a coach ( Rochester , Boston , Colorado ) and later a broadcaster became and still remains one of the game's most visible and controversial figures. As a 20-year-old defenseman Cherry made his professional debut with the Bears during
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6720-495: Is the 84th NHL player to reach the 1,000-point milestone, the fourth Russian-born player and the 37th player to reach the milestone while playing for one team throughout their NHL career. The Capitals won their second Presidents' Trophy in a row, becoming just the seventh team in NHL history and the first time since the Vancouver Canucks in 2010–11 and 2011–12 to win back-to-back Presidents' Trophies. Ovechkin finished
6880-480: The 2019–20 season , the Capitals clinched another division title, but lost to the New York Islanders in the first round of the 2020 playoffs . The next season the Capitals finished second in the division, ultimately losing to the Boston Bruins in five games of the first round of the 2021 playoffs . Following their third straight first round exit since their Stanley Cup win, the Capitals started
7040-795: The Ballston Quarter , in the Ballston neighborhood of Arlington County, Virginia . The practice facility is known as the MedStar Capitals Iceplex . Monumental Sports Network (MSN) has carried Capitals games locally since its founding as Home Team Sports (HTS) in 1984. The channel was later rebranded into Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic (CSN) from 2001 through 2017, and then NBC Sports Washington from 2017 to 2023. MSN's commentators are Joe Beninati , Craig Laughlin , "Inside-the-Glass" reporter Alan May , and rinkside reporter Al Koken . The Capitals' flagship radio station
7200-824: The Caps ) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The Capitals compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference and are owned by Ted Leonsis through Monumental Sports & Entertainment . The team initially played its home games at the Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland , before moving to the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., in 1997. The franchise
7360-669: The Hershey Trust Company . Gordie Howe , who was selected into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1972 and was known as "Mr. Hockey", once remarked, "Everybody who is anybody in hockey has played in Hershey," although he himself did not play there. The history of Hershey hockey goes back to a series of amateur hockey matches played in Hershey between college teams beginning in early 1931. The first such formal hockey game ever played in Hershey took place on February 18, 1931, when Penn A.C. and Villanova University faced off in
7520-774: The Hockey Hall of Fame . The Capitals are affiliated with two minor league teams: the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League and the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL . The NHL awarded an expansion franchise to the city of Washington on June 8, 1972, and the Capitals joined the NHL as an expansion team for the 1974–75 season along with the Kansas City Scouts . The Capitals were owned by Abe Pollin (also owner of
7680-651: The Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy for the best record in the AHL, but no playoffs were held. The Bears qualified for the 2022 Calder Cup playoffs , but fell short to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, 2 games to 1. In the 2023 Calder Cup playoffs , the Bears overcame a 2-0 series deficit in the finals to beat the Coachella Valley Firebirds in 7 games. Following the 2023-24 season , the Bears set
7840-500: The Milwaukee Admirals . This marked the ninth time the franchise had won the Calder Cup, which tied Hershey with the original Cleveland Barons for the highest number of AHL playoff titles. The following season, Boudreau's Bears finished with a 51–17–6 record and appeared to be on the verge of repeating as champions. They rolled through the playoffs defeating Albany in five games, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in five, and won
8000-563: The Minnesota North Stars in exchange for Ciccarelli and defenseman Bob Rouse . However, the goaltending once again faltered and they were eliminated in the first round by the Philadelphia Flyers . The Capitals finally made the Wales Conference Finals in 1990 , but went down in a four-game sweep at the hands of the first-place Boston Bruins . From 1990–91 to 1995–96 , the Capitals would lose in either
8160-500: The Montreal Canadiens , but was later dealt at the trade deadline to the New York Islanders after a disappointing and injury-plagued season. The Caps also signed former Philadelphia Flyers enforcer Donald Brashear . Despite the transactions, however, the Capitals finished with the same point total (70) in 2006–07 as they did the year before, although they won one fewer game. Ovechkin was the Capitals' lone representative in
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#17327718521158320-688: The National Basketball Association 's Washington Bullets/Wizards ). Pollin had built the Capital Centre in suburban Landover, Maryland , to house both the Bullets (who formerly played in Baltimore ) and the Capitals. His first act as owner was to hire Hall of Famer Milt Schmidt as general manager. With a combined 30 teams between the NHL and the World Hockey Association (WHA), the available talent
8480-679: The Portland Pirates three games to two in the first round. Hershey then faced the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the division finals and won four games to three and won the Emile Francis Trophy . In the conference finals, the Bears defeated the regular-season champion Toronto Marlies four games to one, winning the Richard F. Canning Trophy as conference champions. In the Calder Cup finals,
8640-678: The Providence Bruins in the division finals in seven games Travis Boyd was chosen for the Second All-Star Team. The Bears failed to qualify for the 2017-18 playoffs. The Bears made the 2019 playoffs , but were quickly eliminated by the Charlotte Checkers in the second round. Hersheypark Stadium hosted the fourth annual AHL Outdoor Classic in 2013, with the Bears facing their intrastate rival Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins . The "Baby Pens" defeated
8800-576: The Teddy bear toss that usually is held around Christmas time. Since 2018, the Hershey Bears had consecutively broken the World Record for the Teddy Bear toss, with the most recent counting of 74,599. This is a partial list of the past five seasons completed by the Bears. For the full season-by-season history, see List of Hershey Bears seasons Updated November 12, 2024. Since 2012,
8960-646: The Texas Stars . The Bears became the first team in AHL history to win a Calder Cup series after trailing the series 0–2, going on to win 4 straight to take the series 4–2. On December 20, 2006, the Bears played their 5,000th regular-season game at the Times Union Center in Albany, New York . The Bears scored seven times en route to a 7–4 win versus the Albany River Rats . On May 2, 2007,
9120-521: The following season strong, holding first place through the Christmas break. However, they ended up falling to fourth place in the division, which was good enough for the second wild card, and was matched against the Presidents' Trophy -winning Florida Panthers in the first round of the 2022 playoffs , falling to them in six games. The 2022–23 NHL season saw the Capitals miss the playoffs for
9280-563: The "Hershey Bears", a name adopted in response to criticism levied by New York sportswriters and the league that the "B'ars" moniker was too commercial. (These writers had already informally dubbed the club as the "Bears from Penn's Woods" when they visited Madison Square Garden to play the New York Rovers.) On December 19, 1936, the newly renamed EAHL Bears also moved from the confines of the Ice Palace (where they had to play on
9440-402: The "Hershey Hockey Club" in 1932 to manage professional hockey teams based in Hershey. Now in its ninth decade, it has operated four teams in three pro leagues, including the AHL Bears. Now called the Hershey Bears Hockey Club, it is a subsidiary of the Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Company (originally called "Hershey Estates" and later "HERCO"), the entertainment and hospitality division of
9600-461: The 1,900-seat Hershey Ice Palace. Nine months after that successful inaugural contest, Swarthmore Athletic Club moved into the Ice Palace, where they played their first game on November 19, 1931, against Crescent A.C. of New York City . In the lineup that night for Crescent was a 23-year-old center named Lloyd S. Blinco, a native of Grand Mere, Quebec , who came to Hershey the next season and would remain continuously associated with Hershey hockey for
9760-430: The 1937 EAHL championship, then played in an international tournament arranged by the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) to determine a world's amateur champion, in direct conflict with the actual 1937 Ice Hockey World Championships . The CAHA tournament was hosted at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, and invited the champions of the 1937 Allan Cup ( Sudbury Tigers), the 1937 Memorial Cup ( Winnipeg Monarchs ),
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#17327718521159920-468: The 1954–55 season and also played for the club in 1956–57. As a TV personality and longtime commentator on Hockey Night in Canada , this former Bear is one of the best-known figures in Canada in any field. With the demise of the AHL Pittsburgh Hornets in 1956, Bears managers John Sollenberger and Lloyd Blinco were able to acquire the services of seven of the recent Calder Cup champion Hornets' best players including four-time All Star goalie Gil Mayer and
10080-447: The 1960 general meeting, to recognize an individual who "made outstanding contributions to Canadian amateur hockey". The first groups of recipients were named in January and May 1962. List of notable recipients of the Order of Merit: The CAHA established the Gordon Juckes Award in 1981, to recognize an individual for outstanding contribution to the development of amateur hockey at the national level in Canada. List of recipients of
10240-461: The 2016–17 season with 33 goals, leading the Capitals in goals for the twelfth straight season. In the 2017 playoffs , the Capitals defeated the eighth-seeded Toronto Maple Leafs in six games in the first round to set up a second consecutive showdown with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round. After falling behind 3–1 in the series, they battled back to force a game seven at home, where they were eliminated 2–0, and lost their series 4–3. After
10400-414: The 2017 playoffs, the Capitals were unable to retain a number of players, losing Kevin Shattenkirk , Karl Alzner , Justin Williams , and Daniel Winnik to free agency, and budding young defenseman Nate Schmidt to the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft . In addition, to get under the cap, the Capitals shipped Marcus Johansson to the New Jersey Devils . Despite a slow 5–6–1 start, which extended out to 10–9–1,
10560-424: The AHL's East with 84 points (25 more than second-place Springfield) on a record of 36–16–12 behind All Star goalie Harvey Bennett, Sr. In the playoffs, Hershey defeated the Western Division champion Cleveland Barons in a four-game first-round sweep outscoring them 24–3 before winning the Calder Cup finals in seven games over the Pittsburgh Hornets . In 1948, 21-year-old Winnipeg-born center Arnie Kullman joined
10720-461: The AHL's eventual all-time scoring leader Willie Marshall (523–852—1,205). The most important from Pittsburgh, however, was the AHL's only five-time First-Team All-Star defenseman, Frank S. Mathers , who remained active with the Bears for an unprecedented thirty-five seasons as an All Star defenseman, player-coach, general manager, and club president. Under Mathers' leadership, Hershey won over 1,500 games and six Calder Cup titles while Mathers himself
10880-443: The Bears also won their third consecutive Eastern Divisional title. That season also saw Mathers add the duties of GM to his portfolio with the retirement of Lloyd Blinco from that post. With the close the 1972–73 season Frank Mathers ended his unbroken 17-year run as coach to devote his efforts full-time to his duties as GM. Including a brief return to the bench in 1984–85, Mathers compiled a personal coaching record of 610-513-134 for
11040-403: The Bears averaged 45 wins a year, won two overall regular-season titles, reached the play-off finals twice, and brought Hershey a seventh Calder Cup championship in 1987–88. In his first year as the Bears' coach, Paddock led the club to first place overall in the regular season with a 48-29-3 record and either four goals in the final game of that 1985–86 season, left wing Ross Fitzpatrick became
11200-435: The Bears had second-year blueliner John Stevens , now associate coach of the two-time Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings , rookie Gordie Murphy who is now an assistant coach with the Flyers, and Jeff Chychrun, another sophomore. On May 12, 1988, Hershey completed its unprecedented 12–0 sweep to the Cup by defeating the Fredericton Express, 4–2. The Washington Capitals returned as the Bears NHL parent club in 2005 after
11360-411: The Bears in front of a capacity crowd of 17,311 fans by a score of 2–1. 5 years later, Hershey once again held the AHL Outdoor Classic on January 20, 2018, the AHL's 10th outdoor game, with the Bears facing their intrastate rival Lehigh Valley Phantoms. The Flyers affiliate from Allentown defeated the Bears in front of a crowd of 13,091 fans by a score of 5–2. After the 2020-21 season , the Bears won
11520-486: The Bears played their 500th Calder Cup playoff game in franchise history at the GIANT Center. The Bears played the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and won 4–3. In 2010, the Bears set a new club record with 12 straight wins, topping their previous record of 11 which was set the season earlier in 2008. Over the stretch from December into January, the Bears outscored their opponents by a 52–22 margin. The Bears also set
11680-410: The Bears scored a pair of wins (3–0 and 2–1) before falling in Game 5, 3–2. In Game 6, the Bears scored three goals before Manitoba even got on the board, and then an empty-net goal sealed it. With the 4–1 victory, the Bears defeated Manitoba and finally recorded their league-record tenth Calder Cup. Following the Calder Cup win, head coach Bob Woods was promoted to Washington as an assistant coach. He
11840-825: The Bears were swept by the Lake Erie Monsters in four games. Chris Bourque was awarded the AHL regular-season MVP Les Cunningham Award , earned the John B. Sollenberger Trophy as the league's top scorer, and was named to the First All-Star Team. In the 2016–17 season, the Bears finished in third place in the Atlantic Division. The Bears defeated the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the division semifinals in five games before losing to
12000-512: The Bears win their division's regular-season title in 1966–67, for the first time since 1957–58, on a 38-24-10 record behind the goaltending of First Team All Star Andre Gill and a league-leading 52 goals by DeJordy, it would be another two years before the Calder Cup returned to Hershey in 1968-69 defeating the Quebec Aces in five games. Gilbert led the league in scoring with 100 points (35-65) with teammate Michel Harvey close behind at 93 as
12160-431: The Bears' all-time list. As had Gary Green in 1979, Murray left the Bears early in the 1981–82 season to become coach of the Washington Capitals (replacing Green) and was replaced by former Hershey goalie Gary Inness under most unusual circumstances. Inness had retired as a player a year earlier but wanted to remain in Hershey and keep involved with the Bears. With no coaching position available to offer him, but in need of
12320-472: The Bears, and except for 13 games with the Boston Bruins in 1949–50, he played his entire twelve-year career in Hershey. When Kullman retired in 1960 he had amassed 629 points on 253 goals and 376 assists in a Hershey uniform, a total which would only be eclipsed by Tim Tookey (with whom he shared number nine that was eventually retired in honor of both players) and Mike Nykoluk. Kullman's 753 games as
12480-636: The CAHA's authority over amateur hockey in Canada and its membership within the International Ice Hockey Federation were questioned. In 1994, CAHA president Murray Costello and Hockey Canada president Bill Hay , negotiated a merger between the two organizations. Originally called the Canadian Hockey Association, it has operated as Hockey Canada since 1998. Combining the two organizations allowed for
12640-718: The Can-Am and IHL formally merged into a single league under the IAHL name. One of the first acts of the newly merged league, which became the American Hockey League in 1940, was to grant an expansion franchise to the Hershey Bears Hockey Club, which at the time still owned and operated the EAHL Hershey Bears, the then three-time regular-season champions of that league. The new Bears took the Bisons' place in
12800-607: The Capitals caught fire in December, going 10–2–2, and were able to clinch the Metropolitan Division for a third straight year on April 1. They qualified for the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs for the 10th time in 11 years with their third straight division title and a second seed finish in the Eastern Conference. In the 2018 playoffs, the Capitals were able to battle back from a 2–0 series deficit against
12960-558: The Capitals lost three straight games, and were in danger of elimination. Washington would stave off elimination with a win in Game 5, but they would lose the series in six games, with the Penguins going on to win the Stanley Cup for the first time since 2009. Ovechkin reached the 1,000-point milestone on January 11, 2017, with a goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins 35 seconds into the first period of that game. Ovechkin
13120-617: The Capitals won the Southeast Division title for the first time since the 2000–01 season , edging out the Carolina Hurricanes for the Division title on the final game of the season. Washington's remarkable end-of-season run included winning 11 of the final 12 regular season games. The Capitals became the first team in NHL history to make the playoffs after being ranked 14th or lower in their conference standings at
13280-645: The Capitals' first three seasons, covering 15 road games in the 1974–75 season. Sportscaster Warner Wolf was the commentator for the first season. Team radio broadcaster Ron Weber moved to the TV booth for telecasts in the second and third seasons. WTOP-TV's coverage was sporadic and poorly received, to the point of being called "revolting" by the Washington Post ; game broadcasts were scheduled around network commitments and often joined live in progress or tape-delayed entirely. Station management had little interest in
13440-603: The Capitals' playoff disappointment continued. After again defeating the New York Rangers in five games in the first round, they were swept by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The Capitals started the 2011–12 season with a record of 7–0, but they only won five of their next 15 games. As a result, general manager George McPhee fired head coach Boudreau, hiring Capitals legend Dale Hunter as his replacement. By
13600-601: The Caps' dramatic turnaround ended any talk of the club leaving Washington. The Capitals would make the playoffs for each of the next 14 years in a row, becoming known for starting slow before catching fire in January and February. However, regular season success did not carry into the playoffs. Despite a continuous march of stars like Gartner, Carpenter, Langway, Gustafsson, Stevens, Mike Ridley , Dave Christian , Dino Ciccarelli , Larry Murphy , and Kevin Hatcher , Washington
13760-563: The EAHL (Hershey Bears) and the English National League ( Wembley Lions ). The schedule for the competition was a six-game double round-robin tournament from April 17 to 24, followed by a best-of-three game final series between the top two teams. CAHA representative W. A. Hewitt announced the shortening of the series due to poor attendance. The game between Hershey and Winnipeg was cancelled as both teams went home early, with
13920-436: The Eastern Conference in a sweep of Manchester . The Bears appeared to have a tenth title wrapped up against Hamilton , who had finished the regular season with 95 points compared to Hershey's 114. The Bulldogs, however, upset the Bears 4–1. The next season was disappointing to the Bears – Boudreau was promoted to head coach of the Capitals, and the Bears would finish the season 42–30–2–6, losing to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 4–1 in
14080-411: The Hershey Bears have recognized a class of individuals for their outstanding contributions to the game of hockey in Hershey and who were an integral part in the success of the Hershey Bears franchise. The Hershey Bears Hockey Club Hall of Fame is housed on the Giant Center concourse. Les Cunningham Award (league MVP) Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as
14240-468: The IAHL's West Division, allowing the IAHL to play a balanced schedule for the first time in over two years. While the new Bears began play in the IAHL in 1938, the hockey club also continued to operate an EAHL team, the Hershey Cubs, for one more season before leaving that league altogether. In 1977 Hershey became the only original AHL hockey club to have continuously iced a team in the same city since
14400-400: The NHL by defeating the heavily favored defending Stanley Cup champion and second seeded Boston Bruins in seven games on an overtime goal by Joel Ward . Every game in the series was decided by a one-goal margin; previously, no single series in the Stanley Cup playoffs had ever gone as far as six or seven games while neither team ever held more than a one-goal lead. The Capitals then advanced to
14560-662: The NHL's coach of the year. Ovechkin and Mike Green were named to the Sporting News All-Star team, with Ovechkin being the Sporting News Player of the Year. The 2008–09 season was highlighted by the play of Mike Green (who was the third of the Capitals' three first-round selections in Ovechkin's draft year) and Ovechkin. Green led all NHL defensemen in goals and points, also setting the record for
14720-460: The Presidents' Trophy-winning Rangers in the Second Round for the third time in four years. In the second round, all seven games were decided by a one-goal margin. The Capitals and the Rangers split the first two games (with Joel Ward scoring a game-winning buzzer beater goal for Washington in Game 1, coupled with a loss by Washington in Game 2) by a 2–1 margin. Braden Holtby would then post
14880-655: The Ramblers' Bert Gardiner. Former Boston Bruins' coach and Hockey Hall of Fame member (elected 1971) Ralph "Cooney" Weiland guided Hershey throughout the war years winning regular-season titles in 1942–43 and 1943–44. The Bears' 13 losses in 1942–43 are still the fewest by the club in a single season while Wally Kilrea's 99 points (31-68) that season gave Hershey its first of ten AHL scoring champions. Hershey won their first of 13 Calder Cup titles in 1947 under second year coach Don Penniston while also winning their fourth Division title in just nine seasons that year dominating
15040-422: The Southeast Division, thereby earning the third seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Unfortunately for Washington, the Capitals' playoff woes continued as they again fell to the Rangers in seven games. In the 2013–14 season , the Capitals started the season strong by winning five of their first 10 games. The Capitals struggled to stay in a playoff spot and ultimately missed the playoffs by just three points in
15200-1101: The Year as well as winning the Baz Bastien Memorial Trophy as the AHL's top goalie. (As an NHL rookie the following season with the Flyers Hextall won both the Vezina Trophy and Conn Smythe Trophy .) Although the Bears lost to the Adirondack Red Wings in the Calder Cup finals, Tookey also won the Jack Butterfield Trophy as MVP of the play-offs.) Although the Bears finished fourth in the Southern Division in 1986–87 with 87 points (43–36–1), their top line of Tookey, Fitzpatrick and Ray Allison finished first, fifth and seventh in overall league scoring with 124, 85 and 84 points respectively and accounted for
15360-438: The annual championship for junior ice hockey in Canada. The CAHA negotiated an agreement with the National Hockey League (NHL) in 1940, which recognized junior hockey in Canada as a source of talent for the NHL and provided financial compensation to the CAHA for developing amateur players who were signed to professional contracts. The agreement included allowing the NHL to sign a limited number of junior age players and began
15520-506: The championship game played at the Arena before a then record crowd of 8,703. Hershey won a sixth Calder Cup in 1979-80 under player/coach Doug Gibson who replaced first year coach Gary Green when he was unexpectedly promoted to the Bears' then NHL affiliate, the Washington Capitals, early in the season. Gibson also led the Bears in playoff scoring with a dozen goals and seven assists for 19 points in sixteen Calder Cup games while goaltending
15680-414: The coaching reins late in the season. In 1975–76 , Washington went 25 straight games without a win and allowed 394 goals en route to another horrendous record: 11–59–10 (32 points). In the middle of the season, Schmidt was replaced as general manager by Max McNab and as head coach by Tom McVie . For the rest of the 1970s and early 1980s, the Capitals alternated between dreadful seasons and finishing only
15840-412: The eighth-seeded Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the playoffs after being up 3–1 in the series. The 2010–11 season saw the Capitals repeat as the Southeast Division champions and as the top team in the Eastern Conference with 107 points. The season was highlighted by their participation in the 2011 NHL Winter Classic , where they defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 3–1 at Heinz Field . However,
16000-464: The end of the 2011–12 season, the team's top two goaltenders, Michal Neuvirth and Tomas Vokoun , were injured and the Capitals were required to lean on their goaltending prospect Braden Holtby to help the team into the 2012 playoffs . The Capitals made a strong push and finished with the seventh overall seed in East, drawing the defending champion Boston Bruins in the first round. The Capitals shocked
16160-761: The end of the season. Ovechkin won the Art Ross Trophy , the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy , the Hart Memorial Trophy and the Lester B. Pearson Award , becoming the first player in NHL history to win all four awards in the same season. He also was the first player to win an MVP award in any major sport in the Washington, D.C., area since Joe Theismann won the National Football League (NFL) MVP award in 1983. Moreover, Ovechkin
16320-435: The fewest for an NHL team playing at least 70 games, and the .131 winning percentage is still the worst in NHL history. They also set records for most road losses (39 out of 40), most consecutive road losses (37), and most consecutive losses (17). Head coach Jim Anderson said, "I'd rather find out my wife was cheating on me than keep losing like this. At least I could tell my wife to cut it out." Schmidt himself had to take over
16480-415: The final sixteen games of the season. The 1984–85 season was also the first of a dozen year affiliation with the Philadelphia Flyers who shared the club with the Boston Bruins that year before taking over as the sole parent club the next season and remained so through 1995–96. Former Flyer right wing and AHL Hall of Fame coach John Paddock (1985–89) took over for the next four seasons and under his guidance
16640-439: The finals with two of their four wins in the championship series in double overtime. Although the Bears did not repeat as Calder Cup champions in 1980–81, under new coach Bryan Murray the club had its best regular season to that point with 103 points on a record of 47-24-9 and established a still-standing record for goals with 357. Right wing Mark Lofthouse became the fifth Bear to win the AHL's scoring title (48-55–103), and on
16800-561: The finals, four games to two, to win their third Calder Cup title. In 1958 the Bears also acquired the services of 23-year-old center Mike Nykoluk who had split the previous two seasons between the Toronto Maple Leafs and their AHL club in Rochester. When Nykoluk retired fourteen years later in 1972, he was the AHL's then fourth (now sixth) all-time leader in points with 881 on 195 goals and 686 assists and his 972 games as
16960-499: The first or the second round of the playoffs. They would eliminate the Rangers in the first round but lost the second round to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1991. In 1991–92 and 1992–93 , they would lose in the first round to the Penguins and the Islanders, respectively. In 1993–94 , they won their first-round series against the Penguins but lost in the second round to the Rangers. In 1994–95 and 1995–96 , they lost in
17120-437: The first round both times to the Penguins. They would miss the playoffs in 1996–97 . In 1997–98 , as the Caps opened MCI Center , Peter Bondra 's 52 goals led the team, veterans Dale Hunter , Joe Juneau and Adam Oates returned to old form, and Olaf Kolzig had a solid .920 save percentage as the Caps got past the Boston Bruins , Ottawa Senators and Buffalo Sabres (the latter on a dramatic overtime win in game six on
17280-412: The first round of the 2009 playoffs four games to three, overcoming a 3–1 deficit. The Capitals were then defeated by the eventual Stanley Cup champions, the Pittsburgh Penguins, in the Eastern Conference Semifinals in seven games. The Capitals finished the 2009–10 season first in the NHL with 121 points, thereby winning the Presidents' Trophy . Ovechkin led the team in points with 109 and finished as
17440-559: The first round of the playoffs to the Penguins. After the 2000–01 season, Adam Oates demanded a trade but management refused and stripped him of his team captaincy. In the summer of 2001, the Capitals landed five-time Art Ross Trophy winner Jaromir Jagr , by trading three young prospects to the Pittsburgh Penguins . Jagr was signed to the largest contract ever in NHL history – $ 77 million over seven years at an average salary of $ 11 million per year (over $ 134,000 per game), with an option for an eighth year. However, after Adam Oates
17600-637: The first round. The next season, the Bears bounced back. Finishing with a 49–23–2 record, they went on to sweep the Philadelphia Phantoms in the first round, overcome a 3–2 deficit to beat Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the second, and then defeated Providence , 4–1, in the conference finals. They opened their 21st Calder Cup appearance with a 5–4 overtime win over the Manitoba Moose in Winnipeg , but lost Game 2, 3–1. Back home in Hershey,
17760-439: The first time since 2014. Following the season, the team and head coach Peter Laviolette agreed to mutually part ways. The Capitals hired 41-year-old Spencer Carbery to be their new head coach on May 30, 2023. In December 2023, Monumental Sports & Entertainment founder and team owner Ted Leonsis engaged in a non-binding partnership with Virginia governor Glenn Youngkin to move the Capitals and Washington Wizards to
17920-545: The following season in 2016–17 . In addition to 13 division titles and three Presidents' Trophies, the Capitals have reached the Stanley Cup Finals 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. In addition, the team holds an association with a number of individuals inducted into
18080-449: The games and said they received far more complaints about the preempted CBS shows. Before the 1977–78 season, the Capitals signed a five-year deal with WDCA (channel 20), which had regional cable carriage and as an independent station was able to commit to more expansive live coverage. Canadian Amateur Hockey Association The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association ( CAHA ; French : Association canadienne de hockey amateur )
18240-532: The hiring of Barry Trotz as the new head coach. In Ovechkin's 691st NHL game on November 4, 2014, he became the Capitals' all-time points leader during a game against the Calgary Flames , surpassing Peter Bondra . On January 1, 2015, the Washington Capitals defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 3–2 in the annual NHL Winter Classic at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. The Capitals finished in
18400-470: The last five seasons. The Bears each made the 2011 , 2012 , and 2013 playoffs , however they were all eliminated in the first round, and failed to make the 2014 playoffs . The Bears advanced to the second round of the 2015 Calder Cup playoffs , but were eliminated by the Hartford Wolf Pack . In the 2015–16 season , the Bears qualified for the 2016 Calder Cup playoffs where they defeated
18560-503: The league's MVP. Tookey's 124 points that year is still the sixth-best single-season total for an individual player in AHL history, just fourteen points less than the current league record of 138 set by former Bear Don Biggs with the Binghamton Rangers in 1992–93. With the start of the 1987–88 season, Hershey became the first professional hockey club outside of the NHL to reach the half century mark and that year also both won
18720-606: The league's inaugural season as a fully merged league when the Rhode Island Reds franchise was sold and moved to New York state as the Binghamton Dusters after the 1976–77 campaign. Defenseman Henry J. "Hank" Lauzon, an original EAHL B'ar, became the first player to sign with the new Bears. The former EAHL club's coach, Herb Mitchell, guided the IAHL Bears for their first three seasons. The Bears made
18880-500: The league's top two scorers in linemates Marshall and Dunc Fisher , and Mathers himself earning All Star honors on defense for the sixth time in seven years, the Bears won both the regular season and playoff championships in 1957–58. Although Hershey finished the 1958–59 season with just a .500 record (32–32–6), they defeated the Cleveland Barons in the first round before upsetting the regular-season champion Buffalo Bisons in
19040-535: The league, but also set an NHL rookie record and was the fourth-highest total in NHL history. Ovechkin's rookie point total was the second-best in Capitals history, and his goal total was tied for third in franchise history. Ovechkin won the Calder Memorial Trophy , beating out Pittsburgh center Sidney Crosby and Calgary Flames defenseman Dion Phaneuf . Many longtime Capitals had career years, with Dainius Zubrus netting 57 points, Halpern having
19200-409: The longest consecutive goal-scoring streak by a defenseman with eight games. Ovechkin won his second Hart Trophy, his second Lester B. Pearson Award and his second Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy. The Capitals finished the regular season with a record of 50–24–8 and a team-record 108 points, and they won their second consecutive Southeast Division championship. They then defeated the New York Rangers in
19360-561: The lost season in Europe, including Olaf Kolzig , Brendan Witt , Jeff Halpern , and Alexander Semin . The Capitals' 2005 off-season consisted of making D.C.-area native Halpern the team's captain, signing Andrew Cassels , Ben Clymer , Mathieu Biron and Jamie Heward , and acquiring Chris Clark and Jeff Friesen via trade. The Capitals finished the 2005–06 season in the cellar of the Southeastern Division again, with
19520-586: The night of February 7, 1981, he also set a team single-game record eight points (4-4) as the Bears defeated the Rochester Americans at Hersheypark Arena, 11–2, while the team also tied the AHL's then record for goals in a period with nine. Among the Bears' rookies that year was a 20-year-old center Tim Tookey , who over three separate stints with the Bears (1980–82, 1985–87, 1989–94) over the next fourteen years collected 693 points (251-442) in 529 regular-season games, second only to Mike Nykoluk's 808 on
19680-443: The organization iced was the amateur Hershey B'ars in the newly formed Tri-State Hockey League which included three other teams from Philadelphia , Baltimore , and Atlantic City . After a single season in 1932–33, that circuit reformed itself into a larger, seven-club Eastern Amateur Hockey League in which Hershey played first as the "Chocolate B'ars" (1933–1934), then again as the "B'ars" (1934–1936), and finally from 1936 to 1938 as
19840-468: The playoffs after a two-year absence. The team came off with a strong start by winning their first two series, against the Norfolk Admirals and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins , in four games each. In the Eastern Conference finals, the Bears played the Portland Pirates . The Bears quickly took a 2–0 series lead, but then lost the third game. The Bears then rebounded and won Game 4 to take
20000-472: The playoffs of a best-of-seven series in franchise history. However, the Flyers would win the next two games to send the series to a sixth game in Philadelphia; the Capitals nevertheless won that series in six games to advance to the second round of the playoffs. In the second round, they faced the Pittsburgh Penguins for the first time since 2009. After winning the first game of the series in Washington,
20160-747: The profits from the Canada Cup and the Summit Series to be invested into minor ice hockey in Canada, and also allowed professionals into international competition at the World Championships and eventually the Olympics. List of CAHA member branches from 1914 to 1994: List of CAHA presidents from 1914 to 1994: List of notable CAHA vice-presidents who did not serve as president: List of CAHA administrators from 1914 to 1979: The CAHA agreed to establish an Order of Merit at
20320-478: The remainder of his contract to allow the trade to go ahead. This was quickly followed by Peter Bondra departing for the Ottawa Senators . Not long after, Robert Lang was sent to the Detroit Red Wings , as well as Sergei Gonchar to the Boston Bruins . The Lang trade marked the first time in the history of the NHL that the league's leading scorer was traded in the middle of the season. The Capitals ended
20480-463: The roster or as crucial pieces in major trades. Pollin stuck it out through the Capitals' first decade, even though they were usually barely competitive. This stood in contrast to the Scouts; they were forced to move to Denver after only two years because their original owners did not have the resources or patience to withstand the struggles of an expansion team. By the summer of 1982 , however, there
20640-574: The season's All-Star Game , with Washington's campaign also seeing the breakout of Alexander Semin , who notched 38 goals in only his second NHL season. The Capitals signed Swedish phenom Nicklas Backstrom , the fourth overall pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft , to a three-year entry-level contract. They also signed 19-year-old Semyon Varlamov to a three-year entry-level contract. They then went on to fill needs at defense, signing puck-moving defenseman Tom Poti ; right wing, by signing Viktor Kozlov ; and center, by signing playmaker Michael Nylander . As
20800-400: The season's midpoint. For the postseason, the Capitals drew the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round and managed to force a Game 7 after being down three games to one in the series. However, they ultimately lost to the Flyers 3–2 in overtime. After the season concluded, Boudreau's efforts were rewarded with a long-term contract extension. The accolades for the team continued to grow after
20960-462: The second round to face the top-seeded New York Rangers. The series again went seven games, ending with a 2–1 Rangers victory at Madison Square Garden . Following the season's end, head coach Dale Hunter announced he would step down. Adam Oates was later named permanent head coach of the team. The lockout -shortened 2012–13 season saw the Capitals off to a rocky start, as they managed just two wins in their first ten games. The team rebounded to win
21120-467: The second-longest term of any contract in the NHL after New York Islanders goaltender Rick DiPietro 's 15-year contract. Despite the Capitals' young defense and injuries to key players such as Michael Nylander and Brian Pothier , Boudreau engineered a historic turnaround. Aided by key acquisitions at the trade deadline ( Matt Cooke , Sergei Fedorov and Cristobal Huet ), Ovechkin's NHL-leading 65 goals, and Mike Green 's league defensemen-leading 18 goals,
21280-494: The series, with the Islanders winning the first and third games, and the Capitals winning the second and fourth games. After winning Game 5, the Capitals had a chance to clinch the series in Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum , but the Islanders won Game 6 to send the series to a deciding Game 7 in Washington, which the Capitals would go on to win and defeat the Islanders, setting up a match-up against
21440-473: The seventh-seeded Columbus Blue Jackets in the first round of the playoffs, winning four straight and beating the Blue Jackets in six games. They faced the Penguins again in the second round, and this time, on May 7, 2018, they were able to beat the Penguins in the second round with an overtime goal on the road in game six by Evgeny Kuznetsov . It marked the first time in 20 seasons that the Capitals made
21600-407: The shoulders a tan color instead of one color going around the entire jersey. The official mascot of the Bears is a brown bear called "Coco". Coco wears a Bears home jersey, white helmet, brown hockey gloves, and ice skates while skating and black track pants with black shoes. He debuted on October 14, 1978, at the Hersheypark Arena. Since 2001, The Hershey Bears annually host a charity event called
21760-414: The standings, resulting in them missing the playoffs for the first time since 2006–07 . On April 26, 2014, 15 days after the regular season ended, the Capitals announced they would not renew general manager George McPhee's contract and that they had fired head coach Adam Oates. On May 26, 2014, the Capitals announced the promotion of Brian MacLellan from director of player personnel to general manager and
21920-438: The team also had nine first- and second-year players including second-year winger Brian Dobbin who finished third in team scoring behind Lamoureux and Maxwell with 83 points (36-47) even though he had been recalled to Philadelphia seven times during the campaign and only played in 54 games for Hershey, and rookie center Glen Seabrooke also broke the 30-goal mark (32) and was fifth overall in Bears scoring with 78 points. On defense
22080-402: The team in 1999, Leonsis revitalized the franchise by drafting star players such as Alexander Ovechkin , Nicklas Backstrom , John Carlson , Braden Holtby , Tom Wilson and Evgeny Kuznetsov . The 2009–10 Capitals won the franchise's first Presidents' Trophy for being the team with the most points at the end of the regular season. They won it a second time in 2015–16 , and for a third time
22240-402: The team's primary colors are often referred to as "chocolate and white"), a reference to The Hershey Company and its products. The primary logo is a medium brown bear, outlined in dark brown, roaring while standing on a hockey stick centered above the Hershey Bears wordmark. The wordmark has Hershey in tan above Bears in white (both outlined in dark brown). All these parts are contained by
22400-469: The third Bear to score 50 goals in a season while rookie goalie Ron Hextall set a team record with three consecutive shutouts at home. Both Hextall and defenseman Kevin McCarthy were First Team All Stars while linemates Fitzpatrick and Tim Tookey were both named to the second All Star Team. With five shutouts and a 30-19-2 record, Hextall became the first (and so far only) Bear to be named AHL Rookie of
22560-406: The third-highest goal scorer, despite playing nine games fewer than the league leaders. Backstrom finished with 101 points, fourth-most in the NHL. Once again, Mike Green led all defensemen in points, finishing with 76. The Capitals also dominated the plus-minus category, finishing with five players in the top six in the league. Despite having a top-ranked regular season, Washington were defeated by
22720-580: The tournament being completed by a best-of-three series between Sudbury and Wembley, which Sudbury won on a sudden death overtime goal by George Hastie in the third game. Since 1936, the Canadian–American Hockey League and International Hockey League had formed an eight-team "circuit of mutual convenience" playing an interlocking schedule as the International-American Hockey League. On June 28, 1938,
22880-697: The year 23–46–10–3, tied for the second-worst record, along with the Chicago Blackhawks . In the 2004 NHL Entry Draft , the Capitals won the Draft Lottery, moving ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins, who held the NHL's worst record, and selected Alexander Ovechkin first overall. During the NHL labor dispute of 2004–05 , which cost the NHL its entire season, Ovechkin stayed in Russia, playing for Dynamo Moscow . Several other Capitals played part or all of
23040-623: Was also named an NHL First Team All-Star and became the first player since 1953 to be named as such in each of his first three years in the NHL. Nicklas Backstrom was a finalist for the Calder Trophy, but ended up second to the Chicago Blackhawks' Patrick Kane , though Backstrom was nonetheless selected to the All-Star Rookie Team. In addition to player awards, head coach Bruce Boudreau won the Jack Adams Award for
23200-632: Was formed on December 4, 1914, at the Château Laurier hotel in Ottawa . The desire to set up a national body for hockey came from the Allan Cup trustees who were unable to keep up with organizing its annual challenges. The Allan Cup then became recognized as the annual championship for amateur senior ice hockey in Canada. In 1919, the CAHA became trustees of the Memorial Cup , awarded as
23360-426: Was founded in 1974 as an expansion team, alongside the Kansas City Scouts , and struggled throughout its first eight years of existence. In 1982 , David Poile was hired as general manager, helping to turn the team's fortunes around. With a core of players such as Mike Gartner , Rod Langway , Larry Murphy , and Scott Stevens , they became a regular playoff contender for the next fourteen seasons. After purchasing
23520-411: Was from the 2007–08 season to the 2010–11 season in the now-defunct Southeast Division . Despite having a nearly identical roster to the Stanley Cup season the season prior, in the 2019 playoffs , the Capitals efforts to repeat as champions ultimately fell short, as they were eliminated in the first round by the Carolina Hurricanes in seven games having lost game 7 at home in double overtime 4–3. In
23680-701: Was honored with the Lester Patrick Award in 1987 for his "contributions to hockey in the United States", and in 1992 he became the second individual to be elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame based on a career in the AHL. While the Mathers era in Hershey started slowly with a fourth-place finish in 1956–57, he led the Bears back-to-back Calder Cup titles in his second and third seasons as a player-coach. With Bobby Perreault and Mayer in goal,
23840-425: Was it the Capitals' first Stanley Cup win, but it was also the first championship for a Washington, D.C. team in one of the four major North American sports leagues since the Redskins defeated the Buffalo Bills 26 years beforehand in Super Bowl XXVI . Shortly after the Stanley Cup Finals, Barry Trotz resigned as the head coach of the Capitals, after negotiations for a contract extension fell through. Todd Reirden
24000-415: Was knocked out in either the first or second round seven years in a row. In 1985–86 , for instance, the Caps finished with 107 points and won 50 games for the first time in franchise history, good enough for the third-best record in the NHL. They defeated the Islanders in the first round but were eliminated in the second round by the New York Rangers . The 1986–87 season brought even more heartbreak, with
24160-434: Was left on the existing NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) before it expired, few teams were willing to risk $ 11 million on an underperforming player. In 2004, Jagr was finally sent to the New York Rangers in exchange for Anson Carter and an agreement that Washington would pay approximately $ 4 million per year of Jagr's salary, with Jagr himself agreeing to defer (with interest) $ 1 million per year for
24320-467: Was made by interim general manager Roger Crozier , prior to Poile's hiring). The result was a 29-point jump, a third-place finish in the powerful Patrick Division , which had teams such as the high-powered New York Islanders , Philadelphia Flyers , and New York Rangers . Another result was the team's first playoff appearance in 1983 . Although they were eliminated by the three-time defending (and eventual) Stanley Cup champion Islanders three games to one,
24480-408: Was named as Trotz's replacement on June 29. During the 2018–19 season , the Capitals clinched their fourth straight Metropolitan Division title and with that accomplishment, Washington became only the second organization in NHL history to win four consecutive division titles twice in their history (Boston Bruins from 1927–28 to 1930–31 and again from 1975–76 to 1978–79). The Capitals' previous streak
24640-453: Was replaced by Mark French , a former coach in the ECHL. The 2009–10, Bears won a franchise-record 12 consecutive games and notched a 24-game win streak at the Giant Center . They went on to win 60 games, breaking the old AHL record of 57 and finishing a point shy of tying the single-season points record. The Bears rallied from a 2–0 deficit against the Texas Stars to win their 11th Calder Cup, their second consecutive championship and third in
24800-415: Was serious talk of the team moving out of the U.S. capital, and a "Save the Caps" campaign was underway. In August 1982, the team hired David Poile as general manager. As his first move, Poile pulled off one of the largest trades in franchise history on September 9, 1982, when he dealt longtime regulars Ryan Walter and Rick Green to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Rod Langway (named captain only
24960-421: Was shared by Gary Inness (6-1) who himself would later coach the team and Dave Parro (6-3). Although Hershey had finished four games below .500 during the regular season (35–39–9), the Bears defeated the Syracuse Firebirds (4-0) in the opening round before upsetting both the Southern Division champion New Haven Nighthawks (4-2) in the semifinals and the Northern Division winning New Brunswick Hawks (4-2) in
25120-404: Was stretched thin. The Capitals had few players with professional experience and were at a disadvantage against the long-standing teams that were stocked with veteran players. The Capitals' inaugural season was dreadful, even by expansion standards. They finished with the worst record in the league at 8–67–5; their 21 points were half that of their expansion brethren, the Scouts. The eight wins are
25280-446: Was that Washington area native Jeff Halpern was named captain of his hometown Capitals. At the 2006 NHL trade deadline , on March 8, Brendan Witt was traded to the Nashville Predators . In the 2006 off-season, Halpern left the Capitals to join the Dallas Stars ; Chris Clark subsequently became the Capitals' new captain. Richard Zednik returned to the Capitals in 2006–07 after a disappointing 16-goal, 14-assist season in 2005–06 with
25440-428: Was the national governing body of amateur ice hockey in Canada from 1914 until 1994, when it merged with Hockey Canada . Its jurisdiction included senior ice hockey leagues and the Allan Cup , junior ice hockey leagues and the Memorial Cup , amateur minor ice hockey leagues in Canada, and choosing the representative of the Canada men's national ice hockey team . The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA)
25600-411: Was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers , the Capitals failed to defend their division title and missed the playoffs in 2002 despite a winning record. Still, the 2001–02 season marked the highest attendance in franchise history, drawing in 710,990 fans and 17,341 per game. Before the 2002–03 season, the Caps made more roster changes, including the signing of highly regarded Robert Lang as a free agent,
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