Photo: NHL
With the Washington Capitals celebrating their 50th anniversary, NoVa Caps is summarizing each season of the team, from earliest to most recent, in the lead-up to their 50th campaign.
The 1981-82 season was the eighth NHL season for the Washington Capitals. Their record was 26-41-13 in 80 games for 65 points which was fifth in the Patrick Division, sixth worst in the NHL, and slightly worse than the previous season. Once again, they missed the playoffs. The Capitals ranked 10th out of 21 for goals scored and 12th out of 21 for goals given up.
After the Capitals won just one game out of their first thirteen, General Manager, Max McNab, and Head Coach Gary Green were fired on November 5. Roger Crozier, who played three games with the Capitals during the 1976-77 season, was elevated to General Manager. He also acted as Head Coach for one game, a loss. Bryan Murray, then coaching the Hershey Bears, was elevated to Head Coach on November 11.
Dennis Maruk produced the best offensive numbers the franchise had ever had, with 60 goals, 76 assists, and 136 points. The Capitals also had four other players exceed 30 goals: Ryan Walter, Mike Gartner, Bobby Carpenter, and Chris Valentine. Bengt Gustafsson also contributed 26 goals that season.
Photo: Hockey Gods Blog
Notable Capitals Draftees in 1981 NHL Draft
- Bobby Carpenter (1st round — #3 overall)
- Peter Sidorkiewicz (5th round — #91 overall) – never played for Capitals
- Gaetan Duchesne (8th round — #152 overall)
- Chris Valentine (10th round — #194 overall)
General Manager: Max McNab (until November 5, 1981), Roger Crozier (November 5 through August 27, 1982)
Head Coaches:
- Gary Green – through November 5
- Roger Crozier – from November 5 through November 11
- Bryan Murray –November 11 through the end of the season
Captain: Ryan Walter
Leaders
Goals: Dennis Maruk (60), Ryan Walter (38), Mike Gartner (37)
Assists: Dennis Maruk (76), Ryan Walter (49), Mike Gartner (45)
Points: Dennis Maruk (136), Ryan Walter (87), Mike Gartner (80)
Penalty Minutes: Randy Holt (250), Torrie Robinson (204)
Photo: Capitals Hockey Museum Blog
Notable Trades
- June 10, 1981 – Traded 1981 first-round pick (#5) and second-round pick (#26) to the Colorado Rockies for the Rockies’ first-round pick (#3) and third-round pick (#45). Capitals selected Bobby Carpenter and Eric Calder with those acquired picks
- July 23, 1981 – Traded Mark Lofthouse to Detroit Red Wings for goaltender Al Jensen. Trade was a three-way deal that also involved the Los Angeles Kings
- November 25, 1981 – Traded Pat Ribble and 1983 third-round pick to Calgary Flames for Bobby Gould and Randy Holt
- February 1, 1982 – Traded Tim Tookey to the Quebec Nordiques for Lee Norwood
Previous Summaries
1974-75 Season
1975-76 Season
1976-77 Season
1977-78 Season
1978-79 Season
1979-80 Season
1980-81 Season
By Diane Doyle
