The Washington Capitals have been an NHL organization since the 1974-75 season, and they have found success since then, even winning the Stanley Cup in 2018. But with the Capitals around for a long time, they have also dealt with their fair share of adversity, and many players have caused more negatives than positives.
The first villain is no surprise; it's Sidney Crosby. The rivalry between Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin has been one of the NHL's biggest talking points over the last 20 years. But the Capitals have found themselves on the wrong side many times. Sidney Crosby has 97 points in 77 regular-season games against the Capitals. Still, it is in the playoffs that the Capitals' dislike of Crosby is most evident, as he has 30 playoff points against them in 25 games.
While the Capitals defeated Crosby and the Penguins in 2018, before that, Ovechkin had never made it past the 2nd round, and that often had to do with Sidney Crosby. In the years the Penguins won back-to-back Stanley Cups, the Capitals were the best teams in the regular season. So during the times when the Capitals were the best teams in the NHL, Sidney Crosby and the Penguins would stop them and would end up winning the Stanley Cup. While Capitals fans view Crosby as a villain, another Penguin is also just as disliked: Mario Lemieux.
Mario Lemieux was a major villain for the Capitals before Sidney Crosby was even in the NHL. Mario Lemieux faced the Capitals in the playoffs 5 times, and the Penguins won 4 of those series, including 2 years when the Penguins won the Stanley Cup. In the playoffs, Mario Lemieux was outstanding against the Capitals; in 29 career postseason games, he registered 50 points. Both Crosby and Lemieux have tormented Capitals fans over the last couple of decades in the NHL.
The 3rd person on this Capitals villains list is Jaroslav Halak. The reason Halak is in this article is a little different from Crosby or Lemieux, because before the Capitals won the Stanley Cup in 2018, many of their fans felt the 2009-2010 Capitals team was the best chance for the franchise to win a Stanley Cup. After the Capitals finished 1st in the NHL, they were matched up against the Montreal Canadiens, who were 18th in the standings.
Many fans thought the Capitals would just steamroll the Canadiens and move into the 2nd round, and after game 4, the Capitals were up 3-1 in the series and heading back to Washington for game 5. In game 3, the Canadiens swapped Halak out for Price after he allowed 3 goals on 13 shots. So, heading into game 5, it felt like the Canadiens would keep Carey Price in net, but they started Jaroslav Halak instead. He ended up starting in Games 5, 6, and 7. Halak faced a total of 134 shots and allowed only 3 goals, helping eliminate the Capitals in 7 games.
The last villain for the Capitals is another goaltender: Rangers legend Henrik Lundqvist. When you think of Villains, Lundqvist may not be the first name that comes to mind. He has been a major reason the Capitals have been eliminated in the Playoffs in both 2013 and 2015. The Capitals were pushing the Rangers to the brink of elimination, but Lundqvist had other plans. In 2013, Lundqvist shut out the Capitals in both game 6 and 7 to advance, and in the 2015 playoffs, he helped lead the Rangers from a 3-1 series deficit to a 4-3 series win.
The Capitals have been in the NHL for many decades. During that time, they have found players and goalies who have proven themselves among the greatest villains in Washington Capitals history.
Add us as a preferred source on Google