Washington Capitals Five Biggest Rivals

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Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

The Washington Capitals have only been around for 40 seasons. However, in their 40 seasons, they’ve attracted quite a bit of hatred and severe disdain. Despite being around for such a relatively short period of time, they already have some great rivalries.

Before we begin, allow me to explain why I think teams hate the Washington Capitals. First of all, newer fans might not realize this, but the Washington Capitals were pretty much bullies for the first roughly 20 years of their existence. For the first ten, they were just comically bad ones. You know, if you can’t beat them on the scoreboard, might as well beat their faces in! This is sort of ironic because I think that’s the reason why Washington Capitals fans hate certain teams.

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Secondly, in the 1980’s, not only were the Washington Capitals the kind of team that would make sure nobody pushed them around (they did that by making sure THEY pushed other teams around), they were a very hard team to play against. Not only could they score on you and keep you from scoring, but just to remind you who’s in charge, Scott StevensRod Langway, and their motley crew would beat you up.

Thirdly, the Washington Capitals have had some very talented players as of late. Those players include Alex OvechkinNicklas BackstromMike Green, and Alexander Semin. When you have great players and other teams are jealous, that’s a pretty good recipe for hatred. Nobody wastes time hating a team that is irrelevant. So, in  a way, the fact that numerous teams hate the Washington Capitals, depending on how you look at it, could actually be a good thing. Would you prefer for the Washington Capitals to be an irrelevant team who no one can really bring themselves to hate like the Florida Panthers? Hatred is the outcome of success.

Now let’s look at some honorable mentions:

  • Boston Bruins. To be fair, pretty much everybody other than Boston fans hates Boston. Unless you want to say that the Bruins have 29 rivals, the Caps and Bruins aren’t rivals.
  • Montreal Canadiens: Again, pretty much everyone other than Canadiens fans hates the Canadiens. 2010 was a nightmare, but I can’t really call the Canadiens and Caps rivals.

So, without further ado, here are the five biggest rivalries that the Washington Capitals have had over their 40 year history.

Next: A Formidable Foe

#5: Washington Capitals Vs. Carolina Hurricanes

Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

This rivalry stems from some close games in the Southeastern Division, and now the Metropolitan Division. I’ve followed hockey since 1995. I can’t remember many games between these two teams that weren’t close. No matter how bad the Washington Capitals or Carolina Hurricanes were, the two teams have always seemed to play each other close.

The Washington Capitals, over their 40 year history, have played 157 games against the Hurricanes franchise. Their career record against them is 85-50-14-8. That’s a 61.1% point percentage, which might seem one-sided, but the Hurricanes have always been a tough opponent for the Washington Capitals. They always seem to play their best against the Caps. Justin Peters, before he was signed by the Capitals, had an extremely good record against them.

This rivalry became personal for me when they signed Alexander Semin. That was the equivalent of your brother stealing one of your favorite toys and your parents decide to let your brother keep the toy. And not only does he keep the toy, but just to rub it in your face, he plays with it right in front of you and exaggerates how much fun he’s having with it. That just hurts. What hurts even more is knowing that the Hurricanes are severely misusing Semin and seeing him unhappy. As someone who loves Alexander Semin, that hurts deep.

I have respect for the Hurricanes. They always play the Washington Capitals tough, even when they lose.

Next: An Old 1980's rivalry has recently been renewed

#4: Washington Capitals Vs. New York Islanders

Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

They say misery loves company. The Washington Capitals and New York Islanders are proof that is not always the case. The Capitals and Islanders have both known misery, but they sure don’t like each other. This is an interesting rivalry because both teams are relatively new to the NHL. The Islanders became an NHL team in 1972 and the Capitals became one in 1974.

This rivalry stems from way back in the 1980’s, when the Islanders ruled the NHL. The Capitals made the playoffs for the first time in the 1982-1983 season. The Islanders crushed them 3-1 in the Division Semifinals and went on to win their fourth consecutive Stanley Cup. Over the next four seasons, the Capitals and Islanders would square off in the playoffs each year. The Islanders beat the Caps in three of those years (1984, 1985, and 1987) but the Caps did beat the Islanders in 1986 before losing to the New York Rangers in the division finals.

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  • The Caps and Islanders wouldn’t meet again until the 1992-1993 playoffs. The Islanders beat the Caps 4-2. Dale Hunter famously cheap shotted an Islander to end the series. The rivalry was renewed! And then the Islanders started to not do well, which kind of killed the rivalry. The rivalry was put on hold after the Caps moved from the Atlantic Division to the Southeast Division. The Islanders sinking into oblivion and becoming a mockery of a franchise probably had something to do with that too.

    Thanks to another change of divisions, the Washington Capitals and Islanders are both in the same division again. And this year, the Islanders are back to being really good. This bodes well for the future of this rivalry. Old Caps fans can hate the Islanders because of Mike Bossy and all the old Islanders. New Caps fans can hate the Islanders because who doesn’t love to hate New York? Old and new Caps fans can agree that they all hate the Islanders. This rivalry is one playoff match-up away from being back in its 1980’s glory days!

    Next: Speaking of irrational hatred towards the Big Apple...

    #3: Washington Capitals Vs. New York Rangers

    Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

    Is there anything more fun for a DC/Baltimore area sports fan than irrationally hating everything about New York? They’re loud! They’re boisterous! They’re (usually) good! And the worst part of it all? THEY KNOW IT. The Washington Capitals and New York Rangers rivalry is one that has been strengthened as of late thanks to recent playoff match ups.

    The Caps Rangers rivalry goes all the way back to the days of the Patrick Division. Remember in 1986 when the Caps beat the Islanders? The Rangers crashed the Caps party the very next round, beating them 4-2. From that moment on, the Caps and Rangers were enemies.

    The Capitals gained momentum in the rivalry by beating the Rags in the playoffs in 1990 and 1991. The Rangers would exact revenge by beating the Caps in 1994 and going on to win the Stanley Cup. As if Rangers fans weren’t awful enough, giving them a reason to be even more boisterous and arrogant than usual made Caps fans steaming mad.

    Just like the Islanders rivalry, the Caps-Rangers rivalry weakened. Sadly the NHL made a really bad decision by separating the Caps and Rangers by putting the Caps in the Southeast Division instead of letting the Caps, Rangers, and Islanders participate in a hate fest in the Atlantic Division. The Rangers stinking and signing lots of really old players thinking they were still good probably had something to do with that too.

    The rivalry has been strengthened as of late. Starting in 2009, the Caps and Rangers have faced each other in four playoff series. The Caps have won two series and the Rangers have won two series. Three of those four series went to seven games. The rivalry is back and that makes me so happy. Not that I needed another excuse to direct an unhealthy level of hate towards New York.

    If that doesn’t make you hate the Rangers, let me remind you this is their goal song. It is the absolute worst thing ever and hearing it is enough to drive most Caps fans insane. Worst, Rangers fans have no idea how to sing/yell/scream on key or in unison, so the “WHOOAAAAA” part is especially horrible. The worst part is Martin St. Louis (an old person who has actually played well for the Rangers) will likely be celebrating to it for the rest of the season.

    Next: The City of Brotherly Hate

    #2: Washington Capitals Vs. Philadelphia Flyers

    Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

    There’s nothing more natural for a DC sports fan than hating everything about the city of Philadelphia. There’s nothing more natural for a Philly Sports fan than hating everything about Washington DC. The Washington Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers are natural rivals.

    The Caps-Flyers rivalry has been a great rivalry since the 1980’s, when the Caps and the Flyers were both in the Patrick Division. The rivalry really started back in 1984 when the Washington Capitals, led by Mike Gartner, swept the Flyers out of the playoffs (their first ever playoff series victory) to put a fitting end to the careers of Bobby Clarke and Bill Barber. Like any good rivalry, it built up for a few more years before exploding in 1988. In 1988, the Flyers led the Capitals 3-1 in the first round before the Caps rallied to beat the Flyers in seven games.

    The Flyers, however, would get revenge the next season by beating the Patrick Division champion Capitals four games to two. In their most recent playoff battle in 2008, the Flyers came out on top four games to three. The Caps and Flyers have always had physical battles. They’ve gotten even more emotional as of late, with the Washington Capitals having Ovechkin and the Flyers having Claude Giroux.

    This rivalry might have died down a little bit because both the Capitals and the Flyers are no longer the bullies that they were back in the 1980’s, but it’s still one of the most intense rivalries in all of hockey. Plus, who can forget all of the line brawls? How about that time that Ray Emery fought Braden Holtby?

    Or how about this one from March 2014?

    Yup, the Washington Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers still hate each other.

    Next: It's Fun To Hate Black And Yellow

    #1: Washington Capitals Vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

    Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

    The biggest rival of the Washington Capitals is without a doubt the Pittsburgh Penguins. Like their rivalries against the Islanders, Rangers, and Flyers, the Penguins have had a rivalry against the Caps for a while. Unlike the others, the Caps and Penguins have hated each other for about as long as the Capitals have existed. They have played each other 208 times, which is the most times that an opponent has faced either team. The Caps have gone 91-95-16-6 in those games.

    The Washington Capitals and Penguins were division rivals starting in 1974, back when they both played in the Norris division. The Caps were moved to the Patrick Division back in 1979 and the Penguins followed in 1981. Surprisingly, they didn’t even meet in the playoffs until 1991, when the Penguins beat the Caps four games to one. The Caps had to watch as their most hated rival won their first ever Stanley Cup behind Mario Lemieux, Mark Recchi, Paul Coffeyand of course, Jaromir Jagr. The next season, the Caps had to do the same as the Pens beat them four games to three in the first round and went on to win their second Stanley Cup. 

    In 1994, the Washington Capitals finally beat the Pens in a playoff series four games to two. However, as I mentioned earlier, the Islanders wound up beating them in the next round. They would square off once again in 1995 with the Pens winning four games to three. The Pens would beat the Capitals in the playoffs yet again in 1996 four games to two.

    They squared off again in 2000 and in 2001 with the Pens winning both match ups. The rivalry lasted despite the Washington Capitals and Penguins both being bad teams. From 2001 to 2008, each team would make the playoffs just one time. It was revived by the arrival of two duos of superstars: Ovechkin and Backstrom in Washington and Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in Pittsburgh. In 2009, they squared off once again in the playoffs with the Penguins winning in seven games. Yet again, Caps fans had to watch the hated Penguins win a Stanley Cup. Crosby and Ovechkin have kept the rivalry going. The rivalry reached a boiling point back in 2011 when the Caps and Pens squared off in the Winter Classic, with the Caps winning 3-1.

    In 2014, fans of the Capitals and Penguins got terrific news. After being separated for over a decade, the Washington Capitals and Penguins were put in the same division!

    The Penguins and their fans might be soft, arrogant, yellow towel waving yinzers, but we sure love to hate them!

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