Photo: Washington Capitals
With the Washington Capitals celebrating their 50th anniversary, NoVa Caps is summarizing each of their previous seasons, from earliest to most recent. The series continues with the 1996-1997 season, their 23rd season in the NHL.
SUMMARY
This was the last full season that the Caps played in Landover, MD before moving to their shiny new digs in Chinatown. Some franchises say goodbye to their old building with sellout crowds and extended playoff runs. That didn’t happen with USAir Arena.
Washington finished with a record of 33-40-9, fifth in the Atlantic Division and ninth in the conference, missing a playoff berth by two points.
Not all was gloom and doom, however. Peter Bondra alone was worth the cost of a ticket, leading the team with 46 goals. And while the on-ice play was disappointing, general manager David Poile used some key in-season trades to set up the franchise for a return to contention.
Out went Jim Carey, Anson Carter, Jason Allison, and Keith Jones. In came Adam Oates, Bill Ranford, Rick Tocchet and Andrei Nikolishen. Curtis Leschyshyn, meanwhile, was acquired in the Keith Jones deal on November 2 and shipped off for Nikolishin on November 9. Not recording a point in the two games he played in Washington was apparently too much for Poile to bear.
Photo: Flickr
Notable Draft Picks
- Alexander Volchkov (LW) – (1st round — #4 overall)
- Jaroslav Svejkovský (LW) – (1st round — #17 overall)
- Jan Bulis (C) — (2nd round — #43 overall)
General Manager: David Poile
Head Coach: Jim Schoenfeld
Captain: Dale Hunter
Leaders
Goals: Peter Bondra (46), Steve Konowalchuk (17)
Assists: Dale Hunter (32), Peter Bondra (31)
Points: Peter Bondra (77), Dale Hunter (46)
Penalty Minutes: Craig Berube (218), Chris Simon (165)
Major Trades
- November 2, 1996
- Capitals acquire: Curtis Leschyshyn, Chris Simon
- Colorado Avalanche acquire: Keith Jones, 1998 1st round pick in 1998, 1998 4th round pick
- November 9, 1996
- Capitals acquire: Andrei Nikolishin
- Hartford Whalers acquire: Curtis Leschyshyn
- March 1, 1997
- Capitals acquire: Adam Oates, Rick Tocchet, Bill Ranford
- Boston Bruins acquire: Jim Carey, Jason Allison, Anson Carter, 1997 3rd round pick, conditional 1998 2nd round pick
Previous Summaries
1974-75 Season
1975-76 Season
1976-77 Season
1977-78 Season
1978-79 Season
1979-80 Season
1980-81 Season
1981-82 Season
1982-83 Season
1983-84 Season
1984-85 Season
1985-86 Season
1986-87 Season
1987-88 Season
1988-89 Season
1989-90 Season
1990-91 Season
1991-92 Season
1992-93 Season
1993-94 Season
1994-95 Season
1995-96 Season
By Ethan Berman
