For a generation of Capitals fans, Joe Beninati and Craig Laughlin calling Capitals games is all they know.
Saturday, the NBC Sports Washington play-by-play duo will celebrate their 25th anniversary together as the Capitals take on the Flyers at Capital One Arena.
“It’s the friendship that you have off-air that generates the on-air,” Laughlin said in a video produced by NBCSWSH. “I consider Joe to be one of my best friends, but it all starts because we are indeed an odd couple.”
“I love him like a brother,” Beninati added, “but he lives for my pain.”
They are currently the longest-tenured broadcast duo in the NHL.
Since first joining up together in 1996, Beninati and Laughlin have been the voices behind the Capitals’ Stanley Cup-winning season (2018), their first Stanley Cup Final appearance in 1998, and nearly all of Alex Ovechkin’s 740 career goals. Beninati’s call of Ovechkin’s tally against the Coyotes now known as The Goal is an all-time classic. Beninati exclaimed “Simply Sensational!” after seeing the puck cross the goal line.
Laughlin, a former Capitals’ 30-goal scorer, originally joined Home Team Sports as an analyst in 1990 after playing for EV Landshut in Germany during his final professional hockey season in 1989-90. Affectionately nicknamed Locker, the Toronto, Ontario-native scored 341 points (110g, 173a) in eight career NHL seasons with the Capitals, Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Los Angeles Kings. Laughlin came to Washington from Montreal in 1982 as part of the Craig Laughlin Rod Langway trade that is credited for helping save the Capitals franchise during its early years.
Beninati, who played goalie on Bowdoin College’s lacrosse team in college (he still holds the record for most saves in a season; 263), grew up in New York and began covering the Capitals in 1994 after spending five years doing play-by-play in the American Hockey League. According to NBCSWSH, Beninati “was hired by local over-the-air stations WB-50 and DC-20 in 1994 to cover the Caps. At the time, the games were split between HTS and WB50/DC20.”
Beninati and Laughlin became a full-time team during the 1996-97 NHL season when Kenny Albert left HTS to become the radio play-by-play voice of the New York Rangers. Previously, Laughlin was paired with Albert and Al Koken, who remains with NBC Sports Washington as an analyst.
The pair has won dozens of Emmy awards combined while Beninati has also been tabbed broadcaster of the year and received the Capital Emmy’s Board of Governors Award in 2020. Laughlin is also the energy behind The Laughlin Family Foundation, which raises money for rare cancers in honor of his wife Linda, and has been behind many popular beers.
We had a lot of fun with @JoeBpXp and @Laughlin18 today on News4!
Joe B and Locker share the secret sauce to 25 years together with @RealLeonHarris, take a listen!@nbcwashington @NBCSWashington #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/6TwMJsor1B
— NBC4 Sports (@NBC4Sports) November 4, 2021
The two have been receiving congratulations all across Caps Nation for their anniversary.
“Happy anniversary Joe Beninati and Craig Laughlin,” Capitals owner Ted Leonsis said. “The odd couple making magic for Washington Capitals fans. We are blessed as fans to have them as the voices of Washington Capitals broadcasts on NBC Sports Washington”
“Congratulations on 25 years,” Alex Ovechkin said. “In a great city, you guys do a great job. It’s fun to watch. Keep it going.”
“I think just, in general, their voices resonate and it’s great they’ve been at the top of their game for 25 years,” John Carlson said. “That’s pretty special.”
Finally, as for me, I am lucky to call both of these two friends. They’re the type of guys who text you when they find out someone in your family is sick and give you a shoutout on TV when your son is born (which totally made me cry at the hospital because it meant so much to me). They’re also the type of guys that will make fun of you if you try to help them with trivia and get it terribly, terribly wrong. They bring joy, energy, clarity, and fun to a game that sometimes can be difficult to understand or get bogged down along the boards.
I’ve been a fan of the Capitals since the mid-90s. I can’t imagine Capitals hockey without Joe B and Locker. When I listen to other hockey telecasts, to me, others don’t measure up. What we have here in DC is really, really special.
Congrats on 25 years together in the @NBCSWashington booth, @JoeBpXp and @Laughlin18. Thank you for representing the organization with class and constantly going above and beyond the call of duty to share the story of the Washington @Capitals. pic.twitter.com/j3QOJwo6RO
— CapitalsPR (@CapitalsPR) November 6, 2021
Just like Ovechkin goals, we need to treasure these two’s play-by-play because it won’t last forever.
Sweet jerseys! Thank you @Capitals Catch the Caps and Flyers coming up next in @NBCSWashington pic.twitter.com/ldcYqOQqyE
— Craig Laughlin (@Laughlin18) November 6, 2021
Congratulations, you two!
Photo: @laughlin18
