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Washington Capitals: Looking Back At The 2006-2007 Season

By Bradley Davis

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Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports

The Washington Capitals are beginning their 41st season as a franchise in 2015. To honor the Washington Capitals of the past, we’re taking a look back and reviewing each season the Washington Capitals have had here in our nation’s capital. Today, we take a look back at the 2006-2007 Washington Capitals, who were struggling in the midst of a rebuilding phase with three of the original “young guns” in Alex Ovechkin, Mike Green and Alexander Semin.

Washington Capitals 2006-2007 Regular Season

The Washington Capitals completed the campaign with a dismal record of 28-40-14, finishing 22 points out of the playoff race with just 70, finishing in 26th place overall out of 30 NHL franchises. The Capitals opened up the season with a 5-2 loss to the New York Rangers, seemingly setting the tone for a disappointing, though not unexpected, season. 

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Over the course of the season, the Capitals were able to compile an impressive 8-3-1 record from November 28th through Christmas, including a four-game winning streak, to sit at 16-12-7. However, it all went downhill from there, with the team experiencing several losing streaks of up to five games (three times), and only 12 wins following the Christmas break.

The highlight of the season overall was the buzz surrounding franchise player Alex Ovechkin, who posted 92 points in his second season after piling up 106 points in his rookie year. Ovechkin scored 46 times for the Capitals in the 2006-07 season, and also put up an identical number of assists. The “Russian Machine” continued to prove why he was going to be a force to be reckoned with for years to come around the NHL, and at this time he was already well on his way to becoming one of the most prolific goal scorers in NHL history. Ovechkin was also named alternate captain of the Washington Capitals when veteran Dainius Zubrus was traded to the Buffalo Sabres. 

The roster was relatively young during the 2006-07 season, with Brooks Laich, Tomas Fleischmann and Eric Fehr joining the “young guns” to, ideally, help develop the future core of the team. The draft preceding the season also gave fans a reason to be excited for the future: Nicklas Backstrom, Semyon Varlamov, Michal Neuvirth and Mathieu Perreault were all selected by the Capitals, and would go on to see significant time with the team over the next several years.

The Capitals’ problems were widespread during the season. Behind Ovechkin’s 92 points and Alexander Semin’s 73 points, only two other players cracked – or even came remotely close to hitting – 50 points. Captain Chris Clark compiled 54 points in 74 games, and Zubrus put up 52 points in just 60 games before being traded. The next closest scorer in terms of points was Matt Pettinger, who added 32 points. Overall, 32 skaters suited up for the Capitals in the 2006-2007 season. Take a look at that roster and the compiled stats.

Scoring wasn’t the only problem for the Washington Capitals. Olaf Kolzig continued to see his career wind down, and posted below average numbers including a 3.00 GAA and a .910 Sv% in 54 games. His backup, Brent Johnson, was even less fortunate, posting a 3.61 GAA in just 30 games with a save percentage of .889%. Even with a substantial increase in scoring this season, the Capitals would have still struggled mightily to keep the puck out of the net and win games.

2006-2007 Bright Spots

Though it was a typically unsuccessful rebuilding season in terms of success, there were in fact bright spots during the season.

  1. The 2006 NHL Entry Draft. Though it preceded the season itself, the team drafted several players who would impact the team in the future. Though only Backstrom remains with the team, each of those players have played crucial roles on the team at one point or another.
  1. Ovechkin and Semin led the team in several categories, and did so at a younger age than most of their teammates. This led to rightful optimism about the future of the Capitals.
  1. The four-game winning streak from November 28th through December 6th. It was the longest winning streak of the year, and the Capitals absolutely lit it up over these four games. The results were as follows: A 5-2 win over Tampa Bay, a 4-3 win over Dallas, a 7-4 win against the Sabres, and a 6-2 victory to cap it off over the Ottawa Senators. This was a pretty brilliant offensive display for a team with so few impact players. It was at the very least a faint glimmer of optimism in an otherwise brutal season.

What To Learn From The 2006-2007 Season

  1. Patience is a virtue. It took several bad seasons to build up a young core of Ovechkin, Semin and Green, and those who stuck with the team through the bad times have begun reaping the rewards years later. Teams usually can’t remain at the pinnacle of the league for long periods of time without rebuilding (unless you are the Blackhawks), and it shows why going through rebuilds can be very important and beneficial. The Capitals do have time left to win one or more Stanley Cups with the pieces they added in part because of a season like 2006-07, and time will tell.
  1. Scoring depth is key. Though the Capitals were not close to a playoff spot, having four players top 35 points is not a recipe for success of any kind. Presently, the Capitals finally are adding the depth needed for a successful run.
  1. Similarly, goaltending depth is key. A team GAA of 3.19 and Sv% of .903 plagued the 2006-07 Washington Capitals. Overall, it was just not a pretty season in net.

The 2006-07 season was a part of a dark time for the Washington Capitals. It was, in hindsight, necessary, as the team is in a much better place today due to seasons like this one.

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