Photos: Bruce Bennett Studios/Getty Images
With the Washington Capitals celebrating their 50th anniversary, NoVa Caps is summarizing each of the previous seasons of the team, from earliest to most recent. The 1986-87 season was the 13th NHL season for the Washington Capitals.
Their record was 38-32-10 in 80 games for 86 points which was second in the Patrick Division. It was worse than their previous three seasons but still 7th best in the NHL for the regular season. The Capitals ranked 13th out of 21 for goals scored and 8th out of 21 for goals given up.
The Capitals had a middling start, as they were 7-7-1 as of November 8, but did not win again until December 1.
The Capitals continued to struggle in December, as they found themselves with a 12-19-6 record on December 31. The first half of the season was notable for the personality conflict between center Bobby Carpenter and Head Coach Bryan Murray. The situation reached the point where the General Manager told Carpenter to stay away from the team on November 25 until the team could trade him. Carpenter was traded to the New York Rangers on New Year’s Day, ending that drama.
With new players in the lineup, the Capitals turned it around during the second half of the season. Helped by two winning streaks, the Capitals were finally above .500 on March 6 when they beat the New Jersey Devils on March 3. Starting on March 19, they did not lose a single game in regulation for the remainder of the regular season, getting eight wins and one tie.
The Capitals met the New York Islanders, their playoff nemesis, in the first round of the playoffs. This was the first year where the first round was a best of seven, the same as later rounds. This time, they got off to a 3-1 series lead but then lost the next three, with Game 7 being a loss in quadruple overtime, a game forever known as the Easter Epic.
Notable Capitals Draftees in 1986 NHL Draft
- Jeff Greenlaw (1st round — #19 overall)
- Jim Hrivnak (3rd round — #61 overall)
General Manager: David Poile
Head Coaches: Bryan Murray
Captain: Rod Langway
Leaders
Goals: Mike Gartner (41), Alan Haworth (25)
Assists: Larry Murphy (58), Scott Stevens (51)
Points: Larry Murphy (81), Mike Gartner (73), Scott Stevens (61))
Penalty Minutes: Scott Stevens (283), Greg Adams (184)
Notable Trades
- January 1, 1987 – Traded Bobby Carpenter and 2nd round pick (#40) to New York Rangers for Bob Crawford, Kelly Miller, and Mike Ridley
- February 14, 1987 – Traded Al Jensen for Garry Galley
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
By Diane Doyle
