WASHINGTON, DC — The Washington Capitals spent much of the 2024-25 season beating the odds. The year before, they’d barely snuck into the playoffs in Game 82 before getting swept by the New York Rangers, and even after a busy offseason, few thought the Caps would be a serious contender when the season began.
Once the puck dropped, however, the Capitals emerged as one of the biggest surprises of the regular season, winning the Eastern Conference with a 51-22-9 record and getting big contributions from up and down the lineup. That fairytale run came to an end on Thursday against the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 5, but that didn’t mean they were ready to write off the whole year as a loss.
“I know a lot of people counted us out,” Logan Thompson said postgame. “We wanted to keep building off that and I believe we had the team to do it, but it just fell short. But a special group here. I’m just going to remember this group forever.”
Nearly a third of Washington’s roster turned over in the offseason, bringing a slew of new players together for the first time. The team found near-instant chemistry — to hear captain Alex Ovechkin tell it, he felt something special from the moment the group first took the ice.
“Everything was clicking right away, since the first practice, first day of training camp,” he said. “Everybody seemed relaxed. Everybody seemed calm and friendly, and it’s grown like a snowball.”
From elaborate pregame routines and enthusiastic locker-room speeches to lighthearted nicknames and pranks, this year’s Capitals only got closer. Inside jokes took on lives of their own as the season went on — Brandon Duhaime went from barking like a dog to chewing up the lineup sheet, while Ovechkin’s “Bandz” nickname for Jakob Chychrun led to artist Juicy J coming to DC to see the tunnel ritual for himself.
The team’s bond, helped entice free agents to stick around long-term and made every day at the rink more enjoyable.
“This is the most fun I’ve ever had in the NHL in a season,” Dylan Strome said. “And a lot of great teammates, great people, great coaching staff. And it’s just been fun to be a part of. Like I said, we had aspirations to do big things, and unfortunately, we couldn’t get past this team, but this team’s a lot of fun to play for, and it’s a lot of fun to be here and enjoy the time with your brothers in here and to battle.”
And those connections manifested in on-ice success. Twelve players set new career highs in goals, assists, or points, including new acquisitions Pierre-Luc Dubois, Jakob Chychrun, Duhaime, Matt Roy, and Taylor Raddysh. Young players like Connor McMichael and Aliaksei Protas took big steps, with the latter recording a veritable breakout season. Logan Thompson went from a backup in Vegas to one of the league’s best goaltenders in Washington. Head coach Spencer Carbery was named a Jack Adams finalist for his work leading the team. And of course, Alex Ovechkin officially became the greatest goalscorer ever to play in the NHL.
In a way, that made Thursday’s loss harder, not easier. The Capitals saw potential in their group, cut short in a matter of minutes with a late-game goal from Andrei Svechnikov. Not only did that missed opportunity stung, but it also meant players would soon go their separate ways.
“It’s really tough,” said Tom Wilson. “This is one of the best years of my hockey career, the amount of fun that we had, how close a group it truly was and it’s hard look around the room when you’re done and know this specific team will never be together again. It’s one of the toughest things you go through as a group. I thought coming into today we were going to win the game and push forward, and now it’s just, I guess, reflect on it and enjoy the last couple days together.”
Ultimately, the power of friendship just wasn’t enough to carry the Capitals past the second round. Though they showed flickers of promise at points in the series, the Hurricanes suffocated Washington offensively while launching enough pressure of their own to crack their defense. That final chapter, still raw on Thursday night, cut deep. But while it left the Capitals with a sense of loss, it also left them with a deep sense of gratitude for what they’d gone through together.
“You did feel this team was capable of doing something special and potentially going to the Cup Final and making some noise,” head coach Spencer Carbery said postgame. “We knew we had our work out for us. We knew it wasn’t going to be smooth sailing through this, but we believed. And this group will never be together again. That’s just a fact. That’s the way that this whole thing works.”
“But when the wounds heal and we have some time to reflect, this 50th anniversary Caps team will go down in history. And I’ll just speak for myself, this is one of the greatest seasons that I’ve ever been a part of as a coach or a player and I’ll never forget this group. I told those guys I love them, every single one of them. What we went through as a group this year and what they accomplished and (Ovechkin’s) record and everything that went into this season, I will never forget this group. Really, really memorable year.”
