2015 has been a pretty great one for the Caps and their fans, as it started off with a bang and has ended on a high note that provides plenty of reason for optimism heading into next year. Since January 1, the Caps are 54-21-6, have outscored opponents 241 to 180, and have become legitimate contenders for the trophy that thus far has eluded the franchise. They’ve garnered respect for their style of game, for the players who carry it out night after night and for the masterminds behind it all, Brian MacLellan and Barry Trotz (who wasn’t exactly lacking in professional appreciation before his arrival in DC).
And while there have been stumbles along the way (this is the Washington Capitals, after all), the year has provided far more ups than downs… so before we flip the calendar to 2016, let’s take a look back at some of the highlights of the last 12 months.
The Winter Classic
It took some time to finally get the game to DC (and even longer to confirm the venue), but there was no better way to kick off 2015 than with some outdoor hockey right here in the District. Just about everything surrounding the game was magical, from the Epix series chronicling the buildup to the pomp and circumstance befitting the nation’s capital to the near-perfect weather.
And when Troy Brouwer fired the puck past Corey Crawford in the dying seconds of regulation to win the game for the Caps, the celebration that ensued would have been enough to blow the roof off of Nationals Park… if it had a roof, that is. Just an incredible experience from start to finish.
Alex Ovechkin at the All-Star Game
Opinions on the All-Star Game itself are fairly divided around the hockey world, but there’s one thing that pretty much everyone agrees on, and that is the fact that the event – and the weekend as a whole – are often better when Alex Ovechkin is around. Whether snapping pics of Phil Kessel or hamming it up in the skills competition, he brings a sense of fun and spontaneity that few others can match.
He was at his best during this year’s “fantasy” draft, where he spent the evening vehemently lobbying to be the last pick (and perhaps enjoying an adult beverage or two along the way) so he could win a car. The team captains conspired against him to prevent that from happening, but the joke was on them, because Ovi got the car anyway – and revealed that it was all for a good cause.
Nicklas Backstrom Hits 400 Assists
He’s established himself as one of the game’s great playmakers, and as the greatest playmaker in franchise history. Getting pretty milestones like this? Gravy (and one of many more to come, for sure).
Caps Return to the Postseason
In sports, a year without a trip to the playoffs can feel like a lifetime. Nothing makes the offseason more unbearable, the celebration of the eventual champions more painful than when your team never even got a shot. So… yeah, the spring and summer of 2014 was pretty tough. Thankfully, 2015 brought a rejuvenated Caps team (led by Barry Trotz) back to the postseason for an impressive run, thus ending the long, long one-year playoff drought. Good riddance.
Game 7 vs. the Islanders
You don’t have to be a hockey historian to know that Game 7 has not been kind to the Caps over the years. Game 7 at home? Forget about it. So when the Caps (predictably) ended up going seven games in their first-round series against the Islanders, there was a sense of impending doom. That is, until Evgeny Kuznetsov and the rest of the Caps stepped it up and shut it down en route to a 2-1 victory and a series win on home ice.
Justin Williams and T.J. Oshie Join the Team
When the free agency period opened this summer, the Caps were in the market for a top-six winger; by the close of business on July 2, they had two. For the second straight summer, MacLellan tackled his team’s needs head on, locking Justin Williams into a bargain two-year deal and then sending Brouwer to St. Louis for T.J. Oshie.
While the moves looked good at the time, they look even better now, as both players have made a sizable impact on their new team. Between Williams’ smarts and puck-possession abilities, and Oshie’s energy and slick hands, the two have helped to give the Caps a pretty lethal one-two punch up front on the starboard side.
Alex Ovechkin and a Milestone Season
Speaking of pretty milestones… Backstrom’s favorite linemate has been piling them up seemingly his entire career, but especially over the past year. He became just the fifth player in NHL history to score at least 30 goals in each of his first 10 seasons. He scored 50 goals again last season, the sixth time in his career he’s done that (making him just the third player to ever rack up that many 50-goal seasons) en route to his third Rocket Richard trophy.
He also scored his 900th point, passed Caps’ legend Peter Bondra for the most goals scored by a Washington Capital, and became the highest-scoring Russian in NHL history. Oh, and with just two games remaining in 2015, he sits seven goals away from his 500th. He probably – probably – won’t hit that milestone before the year comes to a close… but it’s okay if he wants to save a few for 2016 and beyond.
The Emergence of Evgeny Kuznetsov
Kuznetsov’s evolution has been one of the more interesting things to watch since he finally arrived in DC in the spring of 2013. Over the past year, however, his evolution has moved him into the spotlight as one of the best young talents in the NHL. From roughly the second half of the 2014-15 season on, Kuznetsov has piled up the points and the highlight-reel goals, a run which included a dominant performance in the playoffs (and the gorgeous goal that eventually propelled the team into the second round).
He has only gotten better in the 2015-16 season, too, challenging Ovechkin and Backstrom for the team scoring lead while establishing himself as the second-line center the team has long been missing.
Braden Holtby Takes Charge
Those of us who have followed the team since he was drafted in 2008 know that Holtby is a great goaltender – but over the course of the last year, he’s gone from being a great goaltender no one really knew about to one of the best goalies in the League. Under the tutelage of Mitch Korn, Holtby has put up astonishingly good numbers over the last season and a half, and has seemingly found yet another level this season.
Because… seriously:
Best Start in Franchise History
Twenty-seven wins and 56 points through 35 games. Six regulation losses, fewest in the League. A plus-38 goal differential, best in the League.
‘Nuff said.
Bring on 2016.