Washington Capitals 2014 Season Review: A Memorable Season
Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
The Washington Capitals 2014-2015 season has officially come to an end with their game seven loss to the New York Rangers. What went wrong? We’ll focus on that later. For now, let’s take a look at the special season that the Washington Capitals had in 2014-2015. It was a historic season. It was a great season. Washington Capitals fans should be proud of this team.
The first thing that I’ll always remember about the 2014-2015 Washington Capitals is how much better they were than the 2013-2014 Caps. I often found myself in awe when I thought about how much the Caps had changed in a span of one season. At even strength, the 2014-2015 Washington Capitals scored 13 more goals and allowed 18 less than the 2013-2014 version of themselves. The 2013-2014 Caps had an even strength CorsiFor% of 47.7%, among the worst in the NHL. The 2014-2015 Caps saw an increase of 3.7% in that area with a 51.4% even strength CorsiFor%.
The Washington Capitals defense in particular drastically improved. A lot of that had to do with the free agent signings of Brooks Orpik and Matt Niskanen. John Carlson‘s emergence as a top tier first pairing defenseman and Karl Alzner‘s return to being ultra reliable on the blue line had a lot to do with it too. Even with the potential departure of Mike Green, the Caps can rely on their top four. I can’t remember the last time I’ve been able to say that about the Washington Capitals.
I will always remember the 2014-2015 Caps as being very resilient. This team never gave up. At times when past Capitals teams would have melted down and failed, they fought back and succeeded. They had a very high compete level for most of the season.
Their three stars led the way. Braden Holtby was unshakeable between the pipes for the Washington Capitals as he put together arguably the best season ever from a Caps goaltender. The Caps needed to find out if Holtby was a keeper this season. I think he more than proved that the answer to that question is a resounding “you bet”. He did all of that while playing in over 70 games. The impressive part? He never got tired. He wanted to be out there every single night. In baseball, an “ace” is your pitcher who wants the ball in big moments and flourishes in those moments. The Washington Capitals have found their “ace” between the pipes in Holtby.
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Capitals fans have come to expect a lot from Nicklas Backstrom. That makes it even more impressive that Backstrom managed to impress a lot of people and perhaps shake that eternal “underrated” title that he has on him. If he’s still underrated, it sure isn’t his fault. He had one of his usual quiet, nearly point per game, seasons with 78 points in 82 games. He led the NHL in assists with 60. Backstrom became a threat at even strength again. He had 15 even strength goals and 30 even strength assists, his most in both categories since the 2009-2010 season. He scored his first career regular season hat trick against the Lightning. He became “Big Papa”. He went from having a -20 plus/minus in 2013-2014 to having a +5 rating in 2014-2015. Considering he faced a lot of tough minutes for the Washington Capitals this season, that’s quite the accomplishment. I think I say this every day but I’ll say it once again: the Washington Capitals are blessed to have Backstrom. Are there better centers? Sure. But if I can’t have Steven Stamkos, Sidney Crosby, Joe Thornton, Tyler Seguin, John Tavares or Patrice Bergeron, Backstrom is the next best thing.
Before this season, people questioned how Alex Ovechkin would play with new head coach Barry Trotz. Ovechkin provided a very loud and clear answer. That answer? He’s still the best goal scorer in the world. And he’s back to being the kind of player he was under Boudreau. Not only did Ovechkin have yet another 50 goal season, he also became a much more complete player. His defense was not Selke worthy, but Trotz got him active forechecking and backchecking. Ovechkin became a dynamic force all over the ice. He went from having a -35 plus/minus rating to having a +10 rating. That’s incredible. Ovechkin set several records over the course of the 2014-2015 season, including the Caps career points record and goal record. Did the Washington Capitals rely too much on him this season? Probably. But the future of the Washington Capitals will look bright as long as the great eight keeps doing what he’s doing.
The 2014-2015 Washington Capitals season also featured some impressive rookie performances. Evgeny Kuznetsov proved to be worth the wait for the Caps with an impressive rookie season. He improved immensely as the season progressed and he finished strong. Andre Burakovsky‘s treatment was a polarizing point for most of the season among Washington Capitals fans, but he had a very nice season and clearly has an extremely bright future.
I’ll remember Marcus Johansson‘s season. He changed from being a guy who didn’t know what to do with the puck and I honestly saw as trade bait to being a 20 goal scorer and a keeper. He turned into a legitimate top six forward. The Washington Capitals need to find a way to lock him up. He’ll only get better as he continues to improve.
I will remember Troy Brouwer‘s emotional game winning goal at the Stanley Cup. I’ll remember being there to witness it and having the time of my life. I’ll remember hugging complete strangers after Brouwer’s goal. Nobody deserved that moment more than Brouwer, who got to share that unforgettable moment with his father.
I’ll remember watching Eric Fehr battle injuries to be an important piece to their puzzle. For most of the season, he was the guy who made things happen on the third line. And he’d be the last person to admit that. He’s a great teammate and I hope the Washington Capitals can keep him. He personified the 2014-2015 Washington Capitals with his toughness and resilience.
I’ll remember Tom Wilson making everyone laugh and how loyal he is to his teammates. If someone tried to push one of the Caps around, Wilson was the first guy there to back them up. He matured a lot this season and always made sure that the team stayed loose.
I’ll remember Joel Ward being such an awesome teammate. I’ll remember how he always made me laugh. He has a career in comedy after he’s done playing hockey because he’s so funny and he doesn’t even have to try to be funny. He just is. He was also a very clutch player the entire season, scoring his goals when the team needed him to the most.
Finally, I’ll remember the 2014-2015 Capitals as the team that went down swinging. They fought back from so many obstacles that could have derailed them. They never made excuses. If they can carry that lunch pail, blue collar attitude over to next season and continue to improve, a Stanley Cup could be coming to the nation’s capital.