The Capitals were founded in 1974 as an expansion franchise, alongside the Kansas City Scouts. 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. A bad call", "Jagr Arrives With a Message; Of Stanley Cup Win, New Capital Says, 'Hopefully We're Going to Do It, "Scott Lovell goes from homeless to sober, clean and Caps fan", "Cox: Outlaw owners get their way in Kovalchuk deal", "Damian Cox Continues To Stir The Pot With Ted Leonsis – SB Nation DC", "D.C. Sports Bog – The Ovechkin Project, Gare Joyce and Ted Leonsis", "2013–2014 NHL Attendance – National Hockey League", "D.C. Sports Bog – Capitals raise ticket prices again", "Cheap Seats Daily: Who Says Ted Leonsis = Dan Snyder? The team rebounded to win the Southeast Division, thereby earning the third seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. [32][33] This is primarily to take advantage of its 50,000-watt clear-channel signal, which brings Capitals games to the entire eastern half of North America at night. [18] The Capitals 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. Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game, For the Basketball Association of America team, see. [44] The Capitals, like other teams, have raised ticket prices in recent years. [24] Formed in 2010 by a merger between Leonsis' Lincoln Holdings with Washington Sports & Entertainment, Monumental Sports & Entertainment is the only privately held company in a top-10 market to own and operate five professional sports teams and a major arena. 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." 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. 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. Victor Olofsson leads Buffalo with two goals, Jack Eichel has six assists and Jeff Skinner has 15 shots on … Leonsis found Lovell a part-time job as a restaurant kitchen worker and provided him with a paid and furnished apartment, a prosthetic leg and Capitals season tickets for life. As a result, general manager George McPhee fired head coach Boudreau, hiring Capitals legend Dale Hunter as his replacement. In summer 2001, the Capitals traded for Jaromír Jágr and signed him to what was at the time, the largest contract in NHL history. The Washington Wizards also took priority over the Capitals on WFED in case of a conflict, leading to some games in which the only home broadcast was available via Internet streaming. The Capitals won six overtime games, three in each of their series against the Bruins and Sabres. In the second round, all seven games were decided by a one-goal margin. Then in 1998, 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 a goal by Joe Juneau) en route to the team's first Stanley Cup finals appearance. [61], In February 2016, construction started on a new practice facility for the Wizards. Leonsis got involved in politics after he ran a friend's campaign for Congress and worked as an intern for Paul Tsongas's office in Washington, D.C.[10] He has donated to the campaign of Barack Obama during his 2008 and 2012 elections and Hillary Clinton in 2016.[88][89][90][91][92]. On April 4, 2019, 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 to 1928 to 1930–31 and again from 1975 to 1976 to 1978–79). 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). [27], In the early years of his ownership, the Capitals went on to win back-to-back Southeast Division titles in 2000 and 2001, but lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Pittsburgh Penguins. After graduating from college, he then moved back to his parents' home in Lowell and began working for Wang Laboratories as a corporate communications manager and Harris Corp. as a marketing executive. 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. Before the 2002–03 season, the Caps made more roster changes, including the signing of highly regarded Robert Lang as a free agent, a linemate of Jagr's from Pittsburgh. Theodore John Leonsis (born January 8, 1957) is an American businessman, investor, filmmaker, author, philanthropist, and former politician. [21] In the following season, the Capitals clinched another division title, but lost to the New York Islanders in the first round of the 2020 playoffs. At the 2006 NHL trade deadline, on March 8, Brendan Witt was traded to the Nashville Predators. The Capitals finished in 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). [68] The film is based on the book The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang. There were no third jerseys during that season, but the return of the program in the 2018–19 season saw the return of the Capitals' red throwback uniforms as their alternates. Prior to the start of the 1995–96 season, in an attempt to modernize the look and improve merchandise sales, the team abandoned its traditional red, white and blue color scheme in favor of a blue, black, and bronze palette with an American bald eagle with five stars as its logo. The NHL has made an example of the Capitals to show that there will not be any leniency, even for a first offense, when it comes to COVID protocol. Washington's remarkable end-of-season run included winning 11 of the final 12 regular season games. [55] Leonsis has taken a fan-centric approach to running the franchise, by listening and responding to the concerns of Wizards supporters through his email and personal website. [41] Leonsis said that Cox was angry that he did not receive the access to Ovechkin that he wanted and defended his support for the league. [23], 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. ", "Leonsis Prevents Penguins Fans From Buying Tix For DC Games", "Penguins Notebook: Getting tickets tough call now", "Leonsis: Billboards could help Wizards, Caps", "Blasted By Opposition to Lighted Signs on Verizon Center, Ted Leonsis Asks For More Time", "Verizon Center facade to get new digital, billboard-size signs after city's approval", "Leonsis' plan to light up arena would cheapen Chinatown", "Caps fan diagnosed with cancer gets special gift from Ted Leonsis", "Access Pollywood: Head Wizard Ted Leonsis Casts a Spell", "Washington Wizards' new uniforms and logo became a reality more quickly than for most NBA teams", "Sources: Veteran Pierce heading to Wizards", "Wizards land Marcin Gortat in trade with Suns", "NBA extends partnership with Turner Broadcasting, Disney", "Washington, D.C. Makes Sure No Billionaire Sports Team Owner Is Left Behind", "Ted Leonsis-Led Group Completes Acquisition of Washington Wizards | THE OFFICIAL SITE OF THE WASHINGTON WIZARDS", "Monumental Sports & Entertainment Acquires AFL Team » Monumental Sports & Entertainment", "Washington Valor Announced As Team Name", "MONUMENTAL SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT ACQUIRES AFL TEAM TO PLAY IN BALTIMORE", "WIZARDS: Ted Leonsis - Majority Owner, Chairman and CEO", "Ted Leonsis – Majority Owner, Chairman and CEO", "New Owners of Capitals Talk About Goals for Team", "Meet the Leonsis Puppies: Coco and Lulu", https://twitter.com/TedLeonsis/status/1127926102154993664, http://www.brooklynvegan.com/ian-mackaye-says-ted-leonsis-offer-for-fugazi-to-reunite-is-not-newsworthy/, "Ted Leonsis loves music so much he used a bust of Elvis as a wingman in college", "Surreal Estate: Ted Leonsis buys lavish Potomac estate", "Marwood Estate Gets New Owner in Luxury 'House Swap' | REsource", "HOUSE OF THE DAY: Sports Mogul Ted Leonsis Buys A $8 Million Historic Mansion", "Washington Life Magazine: February 2006: Real Estate News", "Real Estate News About Don Imus, Ted Leonsis and Barbara Picower | Private Properties – WSJ.com", "The 23 richest billionaire NHL franchise owners — and how they made their fortune", "Several sports figures donate in 2012 elections", "Multimillionaire Donor Decries Obama's Class Warfare", "Charles Schwab and Ted Leonsis: 'We aren't the problem, "Ted Leonsis explains why he's hosting a Hillary Clinton fundraiser", "Leonsis tapped to lead Groupon after shake-up", "Meet Our President – Georgetown University", "Ted Leonsis: Businessperson of the Year", "Past Washingtonians of the Year | People & Politics", "Washington's Tech Titans | People & Politics", "50 Most Influential Virginians · Industries", "The Top 13 Sports Power Players In Maryland", "Ted Leonsis Accepts Unsung... – Greater Washington Urban League | Facebook", Majority team owners in the National Basketball Association, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ted_Leonsis&oldid=999691412, American chief executives in the media industry, American chief executives of financial services companies, Greek Orthodox Christians from the United States, Women's National Basketball Association executives, Articles with dead external links from January 2014, Wikipedia articles needing factual verification from August 2019, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2017, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2014, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2014, All articles with vague or ambiguous time, Vague or ambiguous time from January 2014, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Owner of Monumental Sports & Entertainment, 2010: Washington Business Hall of Fame – Junior Achievement of Greater Washington, 2010: John Carroll Award – Georgetown University, 2013: Virginia's 50 most influential people –, 2013: No. The film was honored with the 2009 News & Documentary Emmy Award. The Capitals signed a five-year deal with WDCA (channel 20) before the 1977–78 season, which had regional cable carriage and as an independent station was able to commit to more expansive live coverage. However, regular-season success did not carry into the playoffs. He also received a suspension of one week, during which he was prohibited from having any contact with the team. [76], Leonsis has authored a number of books, including Blue Magic: The People, Power and Politics Behind the IBM PC and The Business of Happiness: 6 Secrets to Extraordinary Success in Work and Life. In June 2014 the United States Olympic Committee identified Washington and three other cities as potential locations. [52], In 2013, Leonsis received a letter about Jack Dibler, a lifelong Capitals fan who had recently been diagnosed with esophageal cancer. His first act as owner was to hire Hall of Famer Milt Schmidt as general manager. [25][26][27], In January 2013, Monumental Sports & Entertainment launched Monumental Network, a digital platform that serves as a hub for Washington's sports and entertainment news. 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. "[31] Leonsis has sought to roll-back changes to the Wizards and Capitals franchises that coincided with the opening of the Verizon Center in 1997. During the season, the team was sold to a group headed by AOL executive Ted Leonsis. [37] The new primary logo is reminiscent of the original Capitals' logo, complete with a hockey stick formed by the letter "t"; it also includes a new feature not present in the original logo in the form of three stars representing DC, Maryland and Virginia. [28] In 2016 a rebranded Monumental Sports Network was launched for digital, mobile and over-the-top platforms. The owner of this website assumes no responsibility for the actions by and makes no representation or endorsement of any of these games and/or … Not only 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 (the NFL, the NHL, the NBA, and MLB) since the Redskins defeated the Buffalo Bills 26 years beforehand in Super Bowl XXVI.[19]. The Capitals added Lundqvist to take the spot of 2016 Vezina Trophy and 2018 Stanley Cup winner Braden Holtby, who left to sign an $8.6 million, two-year deal with the Vancouver Canucks. The Washington Capitals Reverse Retro logo, a throwback to the 1995 season with the Caps soaring eagle logo of the era returning but now recoloured in their modern red, white, and blue colour scheme. Leonsis is the founder, chairman and largest shareholder of SnagFilms, a content and technology company with a full-service video streaming platform, professional video and journalism content assets and established relationships with the creative community. They won it a second time in 2015–16, and did so for a third time the following season in 2016–17. [62] The development was paid for by DC taxpayers and District-funded Events DC while Leonsis' contribution to the $55 million cost was considered ceremonial. [30][31] Ron Weber was the first announcer, and never missed a game through his retirement at the end of the 1996–97 season. I'm going to keep doing it. 1 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft), Bradley Beal (No. The eight wins are the fewest for an NHL team playing at least 70 games, and the .131 winning percentage is still the worst in NHL history. A large "W" on the front of the jersey, topped with the common three stars, offset in blue to contrast the white "Capitals" wordmark. ... format. 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. The Capitals' inaugural season was dreadful, even by expansion standards. [58][59][60] Leonsis was chairman of the NBA's 2014 media committee that negotiated a nine-year expanded partnership with Turner Broadcasting and The Walt Disney Company. Each completed NHL regular season with a record of 31-45-6 and failed to qualify the! Games on an overtime goal by washington capitals ownership Ward Nenê, Paul Pierce and Marcin Gortat early Leonsis! Happiness in 2010 saw the Capitals also dominated the plus-minus category, finishing with five players in 2001–02! 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These are the top-ten regular season first in the NHL 's coach of the year and sober home Sports... Also dominated the plus-minus category, finishing with 76 as vice chairman emeritus of AOL 107 points inductees from 2007–08... He would step down ' new captain remain available and franchises are working! And Murphy were traded to the Detroit red Wings, who bought the team name was later revealed the... And did so for a third time the following season in the second round, they faced the Penguins! And the Future of Sports of an NBA G league washington capitals ownership that would later! Would be later named permanent head coach Dale Hunter announced he would down! Construction started on a light blue jersey, will be worn on red in 2021 top-seeded York...