The 2007-2008 Capitals Season

Though the Capitals have struggled substantially in recent years, the most recent season shows significant signs of improvement for the team.  Things began to turn up starting in 2006, with a few personnel shifts that saw the team pick up enforcer Don Brashear from the Philadelphia Flyers.  Alex Ovechkin earned All-Star honors, and the sophomore player Alexander Semin scored a whopping 38 goals, substantially increasing the team's offensive firepower.

The 2007-2008 season got off to an amazingly rocky start, with the team posting an initial 6-14-1 record.  Management had had enough; coach Glen Hanlon was fired, and replaced with Bruce Boudreau from the Hershey Bears.  Boudreau immediately made his presence known, engineering some excellent trades, and managed to whip the team into shape despite its young defense and an injury-plagued season.  In the last game of the season, the Capitals found themselves competing against the Carolina Hurricanes for the division title, and took it with a win over the Florida Panthers.

The Capitals drew the powerful Philadelphia Flyers in their visit to the playoffs, and went down in the series early 3-1.  The team fought back, however, and forced a game 7.  In an exciting and nail-biting overtime game, the Capitals unfortunately couldn't quite hold off the Flyers, and lost 3-2.  It was a disappointing loss, but the turnaround excited fans and players alike - the Capitals were back on their game.

The stunning performance of the team in the latter part of the season hasn't gone unnoticed.  Alex Ovechkin, Nickolas Backstrom, and coach Boudreau are up for the Hart Trophy, Calder Trophy, and Jack Adams award, respectively.