The 2008–09 Washington Capitals season was the team's 35th in the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey sports league, league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranke ...
. The Capitals finished the regular season with a record of 50–24–8 and a team-record 108 points, and they won their second consecutive
Southeast Division championship. They defeated the
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its ho ...
in the first round of the
2009 Stanley Cup playoffs 4–3, overcoming a 3–1 series deficit. The Capitals were then defeated by the eventual champion
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have play ...
in the Eastern Conference Semi-finals in seven games.
Pre-season
Schedule/Results
from capitals.nhl.com
Regular season
Division standings
Conference standings
Schedule and results
Full schedule, results, and recaps at capitals.nhl.com
* Green background indicates win. (2 points)
* Red indicates loss. (0 points)
* White background indicates overtime/shootout loss (1 point).
Playoffs
The Washington Capitals won the Southeast Division and qualified for the playoffs for the second straight season. The Capitals would eventually win the first round against the New York Rangers, in seven games, after trailing the series 3–1 for their first playoff series victory since reaching the Stanley Cup Final in
1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...
. However, the Capitals would not get past the
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have play ...
and lost the series in seven games.
Key: Win Loss Clinch Playoff Series Eliminated from playoffs
Player statistics
Skaters
Goaltenders
†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Capitals. Stats reflect time with the Capitals only.
‡Traded mid-season
Bold/italics denotes franchise record
Awards and records
Trophies and awards
* Alexander Ovechkin –
Hart Memorial Trophy
The Hart Memorial Trophy, originally known as the Hart Trophy, is an annual award for the most valuable player in the National Hockey League (NHL), voted by the members of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association. The original trophy was donat ...
(Most Valuable Player)
* Alexander Ovechkin –
Lester B. Pearson Award (Most Outstanding Player)
* Alexander Ovechkin –
Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy
The Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy, also known as the Rocket Richard Trophy, is awarded annually to the leading goal scorer in the National Hockey League (NHL). It was donated to the NHL by the Montreal Canadiens in and is named in honour of leg ...
: (56 goals)
* Alexander Ovechkin –
Kharlamov Trophy
The Kharlamov Trophy is an ice hockey award given to the best Russian player of the previous season.
The current winner, for the 2018-2019 season is Nikita Kucherov.
History
The Trophy was established by Sovetsky Sport in 2002, and is named af ...
* Alexander Ovechkin – NHL First All-Star Team
* Mike Green – NHL First All-Star Team
Stars
* Alexander Semin – NHL No. 1 Star of the Month (October 2008)
* Alex Ovechkin – NHL No. 1 Star of the Month (November 2008)
* Nicklas Backstrom – NHL No. 1 Star of the Week (Week Ending November 28, 2008)
* Alex Ovechkin – NHL No. 1 Star of the Week (Week Ending December 28, 2008)
* Mike Green – NHL No. 3 Star of the Week (Week Ending February 1, 2009)
* Mike Green – NHL No. 3 Star of the Week (Week Ending February 8, 2009)
Records
* Mike Green – NHL-record 8-game goal-scoring streak by a defenseman
Milestones
Transactions
Trades
Free agents
Claimed from waivers
Draft picks
Washington 's picks at the
2008 NHL Entry Draft
The 2008 NHL Entry Draft was the 46th NHL Entry Draft. It was hosted by the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Place in the city of Ottawa, Ontario, on June 20–21, 2008. The Senators were originally awarded the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, but because of ...
[ ] in
Ottawa
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
.
See also
*
2008–09 NHL season
The 2008–09 NHL season was the 92nd season of operation (91st season of play) of the National Hockey League (NHL). It was the first season since prior to the 2004–05 lockout in which every team played each other at least once during the sea ...
*
Brett Leonhardt
Brett Leonhardt (born September 21, 1982) is a former ice hockey goaltender for the Kitchener Dutchmen of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL), the State University of New York at Oswego of the State University of New York Athletic ...
Farm teams
Hershey Bears
The Hershey Bears are a professional ice hockey team based in Hershey, Pennsylvania, a town located 14 miles east of the state capital of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Harrisburg. The current Bears club has played in the American Hockey League since ...
of the
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the le ...
(AHL) and the
South Carolina Stingrays
The South Carolina Stingrays are a professional minor league ice hockey team based in North Charleston, South Carolina. The Stingrays play in the South Division of the ECHL's Eastern Conference. They play their home games at the North Charleston Co ...
of the
ECHL
The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL).
Th ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:2008-09 Washington Capitals Season
Washington Capitals seasons
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Cap
A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...
Cap
A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...