Washington Capitals Five Biggest Rivals

#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.

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