In 2024-25, the Washington Capitals enjoyed their best regular season since 2021. After re-tooling the roster with some big additions in free agency, the Caps ended the season as the top team in the Eastern Conference.
With their eyes set on the Stanley Cup final, Washington made quick work of the Montreal Canadiens in the first round, and are now tasked with getting past the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round.
The Capitals have won just one Stanley Cup title in franchise history, dating all the way back to their debut season in 1974–75. Let's have a look at the Caps' history in the Stanley Cup finals.
Washington Capitals Stanley Cup Finals History
1997-98, 4–0 defeat against the Detroit Red Wings
In their first taste of Stanley Cup final action, the Capitals were upended in a four-game sweep by the Red Wings. Washington scored a total of seven goals in the series while conceding 13, and the team was defeated 4–1 in Game 4 to close out the series.
Joe Juneau led the team with four points in four games, but it wasn't enough to give the Capitals a single victory in the series.
2017–18, 4–1 victory against the Vegas Golden Knights
In 2018, in what was just the second Stanley Cup final appearance for the Capitals, Washington was able to secure its first and only championship victory to date. The team took care of business in a five-game series against the Golden Knights that featured a few closely contested games.
The Caps closed out the series in Game 5 with a 4–3 win that included goals from Jakub Vrana, Alex Ovechkin, Devante Smith-Pelly and Lars Eller. Ovechkin had five points and three goals in the series, though no one made a larger scoring contribution than Evgeny Kuznetsov, who had seven points for Washington.
The Capitals have not been back to the final since then, having been eliminated in the first round in their next five trips to the postseason, a streak which was snapped in 2024–25 after they clinched their spot in Round 2.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Washington Capitals Championship Wins & Stanley Cup Finals History.
