October 27, 2026
October 27, 2026
Alexander Ovechkin will forever be linked with Sidney Crosby as two of the most integral superstars to emerge at the same time, during a period when the National Hockey League needed them most. While Crosby has been received as the flashier superstar of the two, Ovechkin has proven to be an offensive scoring stud in his own right. When both superstars began their NHL careers in the 2005-2006 season, it was immediately apparent that they would help reshape the league.
In the 2009-2010 NHL season, the 2009-2010 Washington Capitals went 54-15-13 (overtime losses) with 121 points, winning the Southeast Division by a whopping 38 points over the Atlanta Thrashers. The Capitals went 30-5-6 on home ice at the Verizon Center and 24-10-7 on the road. In head-to-head play, the Capitals went 6-0 against the Atlanta Thrashers and the Florida Panthers; 4-0 against the Pittsburgh Penguins; 4-2 against the Tampa Bay Lightning; 3-0-1 against the Boston Bruins, New York Islanders, and Philadelphia Flyers; 3-1 against the Buffalo Sabres and New York Rangers; 3-1-2 against the Carolina Hurricanes; and 2-1-1 against the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Throughout the regular season, the Capitals showed just how strong a team they were, never posting a record below .500 in any month. The Capitals went 8-2-3 in October, 8-3-3 in November, 8-5 in December, 13-2 in January, 4-1-2 in February, 8-2-4 in March, and 5-0-1 in April.
Washington’s star left winger began the season as an Alternate Captain and served in that role from October to January, and from January on he served as the team’s Captain. Alexander Ovechkin had 50 goals and 59 assists for 109 points, with 13 power play goals, 23 power play assists, and 7 game-winning goals on 368 shots. Ovechkin would win the Ted Lindsay Award.
Center Nicklas Backstrom had 33 goals and 68 assists for 101 points, with 11 power play goals, 26 power play assists, and 4 game-winning goals on 222 shots. Left winger Alexander Semin had 40 goals and 44 assists for 84 points, with 8 power play goals, 19 power play assists, and 5 game-winning goals on 278 shots. Defenseman Mike Green had 19 goals and 57 assists for 76 points, with 10 power play goals, 25 power play assists, and 4 game-winning goals on 205 shots. Center Brooks Laich had 25 goals and 34 assists for 59 points, with 12 power play goals, 9 power play assists, and 4 game-winning goals on 222 shots.
Right winger Mike Knuble was an Alternate Captain and had 29 goals and 24 assists for 53 points, with 6 power play goals, 7 power play assists, and 5 game-winning goals on 151 shots. Left winger Tomas Fleischmann had 23 goals and 28 assists for 51 points, with 7 power play goals, 13 power play assists, and 4 game-winning goals on 121 shots. Center Brendan Morrison had 12 goals and 30 assists for 42 points, with 3 game-winning goals on 105 shots. Right winger Eric Fehr had 21 goals and 18 assists, with 3 game-winning goals on 145 shots. Right winger Matt Bradley had 10 goals and 14 assists, with 5 game-winning goals on 98 shots.
Washington had three goaltenders who generally did well guarding the net. Jose Theodore was the Capitals’ primary goaltender, going 30-7-7 and allowing 121 goals on 1,352 shots in 2,586 minutes, with 1,231 saves, a .911 save percentage, a 2.81 goals against average, and 1 shutout. Theodore would win the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.
Goaltender Semyon Varlamov went 23-15-4, allowing 65 goals on 718 shots in 1,527 minutes, with 653 saves, a .909 save percentage, a 2.55 goals against average, and 2 shutouts. Goaltender Michal Neuvirth went 9-4, allowing 40 goals on 464 shots in 872 minutes, with 424 saves, a .914 save percentage, and a 2.75 goals against average.
A key trade on December 28 marked a shift in leadership for the Capitals. Right winger Chris Clark, the team’s original Captain, and defenseman Milan Jurcina were sent to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for left winger Jason Chimera.
Not long after the trade, and after Alexander Ovechkin was named the team’s new Captain, the Capitals found what had been missing and went on a powerful 14-game winning streak. The streak began with a 5-4 shootout victory over the Florida Panthers on January 13 and ended with a 5-4 overtime win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on February 7.
However, as would be the story for years to come, the 2009-2010 Washington Capitals couldn’t get out of their own way or step out of the shadow of being just a great regular season team. In the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals of the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Capitals fell to the Montreal Canadiens four games to three.
In Game 2 on April 17 at the Verizon Center, the Capitals beat the Canadiens 6-5 in overtime. Montreal struck first when right winger Brian Gionta scored just 1:00 into the 1st period. Left winger Andrei Kostitsyn followed with a goal at 7:58. Washington then woke up and started scoring, beginning with a goal by Eric Fehr at 10:21. Kostitsyn scored another Montreal goal at 11:06 of the 2nd period, and at 17:44 he added a power play goal to complete the hat trick.
It appeared the Capitals were too far behind to get back in the game, but then the turnaround started. Nicklas Backstrom scored at 18:23, and at 2:56 of the 3rd period Alexander Ovechkin scored. Backstrom scored again at 9:47. Center Tomas Plekanec scored for Montreal at 14:54, but at 18:39 Washington tied the game 5-5 when defenseman John Carlson scored a critical goal. Backstrom provided the quick climax Capitals fans were hoping for, scoring the game-winning goal just 0:31 into the first overtime period to complete his own hat trick.
In Game 3 on April 19 at the Bell Centre, the Capitals beat the Canadiens 5-1. Center Boyd Gordon scored a short-handed goal 1:06 into the 2nd period, and Brooks Laich followed with a goal at 4:42. Fehr scored at 8:33, and Ovechkin scored at 13:50. Plekanec scored Montreal’s only goal 3:25 into the 3rd period, but the game was already decided. Matt Bradley provided the icing on the cake with a goal at 19:15.
In Game 4 on April 21, the Capitals beat the Canadiens 6-3. Ovechkin scored a power play goal 8:10 into the 1st period. At 9:12, center and winger Mike Cammalleri scored for Montreal, and at 15:42 of the 2nd period Gionta scored a power play goal of his own. Mike Knuble scored a short-handed goal for Washington at 19:53. Ovechkin scored again at 11:09 of the 3rd period, and Jason Chimera followed with a goal at 12:01. Knuble added an empty net goal at 17:33. Center Dominic Moore scored for Montreal at 18:42, but it was too little, too late. Backstrom scored an empty net goal at 19:49 to finish the game.
The Washington Capitals would remain one of the premier teams in the National Hockey League, and one main reason for this would be the rise of Alexander Ovechkin as a bona fide superstar. Over the next few seasons, the Capitals would go no further than the Conference Semifinal round before exiting the playoffs.
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