The Washington Capitals celebrate their 50th anniversary.th To mark the 50th anniversary, NoVa Caps returns to each of the team’s seasons, from the earliest to the most recent. The 1979–80 season was the sixth NHL season for the Washington Capitals.
Their record was 27-40-13 in 80 games with 67 points, which was fifth in the Norris Division and fifth worst in the NHL. Despite several losing streaks, especially in the first half of the season, they finished with the most points in franchise history, surpassing their 1978-79 total by four points.
Unfortunately, they still did not make it to the playoffs as the Edmonton Oilers knocked them out of the last playoff spot by just two points. The Capitals finished 15thth of 21 for goals scored and 12th of 21 for goals conceded. This season was the first after the NHL acquired five teams from the World Hockey Association (WHA).
The Capitals started the 1979-80 season poorly, with a record of just 4-10-2 after their November 10 game. As a result, head coach Danny Belisle was fired and replaced by Gary Green, who was very young for a head coach at just 26 years old.
But wins were still hard to come by, as the team ended 1979 9-23-6, including a 10-game winless streak. The second half of March featured a five-game winning streak, but the team struggled to win most of the time.
Photo: Zoo.com (Website)
Notable Capitals draftees in the 1979 NHL Draft
- Mike Gaertner (1st Round – #5 overall)
- Errol Rausse (2and Round – #24 overall)
- Tim Tookey (5th Round – #88 overall)
- Greg Theberge (6th Round – #109 overall)
Managing Director: Max McNab
Head coach:
- Danny Belisle (until November 14th)
- Gary Green (since November 14)
Captain: Ryan Walter
management
Goals: Mike Gartner (36), Ryan Walter (24)
Assists: Robert Picard (43), Ryan Walter (42)
Points: Mike Gartner (68), Ryan Walter (66)
Penalty minutes: Paul Mulvey (240), Robert Picard (122)
Notable trades
- June 15, 1979 – Nelson Burton was traded to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for Dave Parro.
- August 16, 1979 – Traded the 1981 third-round pick to the Philadelphia Flyers for Wayne Stephenson
- December 7, 1979 – Trade of Gord Lane for Mike Kaszycki to the New York Islanders
- January 17, 1980 – Tom Rowe was traded to the Hartford Whalers in exchange for Alan Hangsleben.
- February 16, 1980 – Mike Kaszycki was acquired by the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Pat Ribble
Previous summaries
Season 1974–75
Season 1975–76
Season 1976–77
Season 1977–78
Season 1978–79
By Diane Doyle
