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Happy New Year Capitals fans! 2016 is right around the corner. The Washington Capitals have had an exciting year in 2015, as they have established one of the best records in the NHL to close the calendar year.

There were many memorable moments in 2015 for the Washington Capitals. The Capitals provided many awesome goals, hits, saves, and other things that brought excitement to D.C. in the calendar year. This article is dedicated to the 15 BEST Washington Capitals moments of 2015.

Let’s have a little fun and re-live the Capitals 15 most memorable moments in 2015. And down memory lane we go…

BEST OVECHKIN GOAL(S)
Alex Ovechkin scores so many unreal goals on any given night, and 2015 did not disappoint for the Great 8. Ovechkin is one of the greatest players to ever play in the NHL, so this category will be full of highlight-reel goals.

Ovechkin’s first goal of the 2015-16 season against the New Jersey Devils was a pretty memorable goal (Ovechkin loves to torment the Devils):

Alex Ovechkin scored a memorable goal from his knees in the 2015 NHL Playoffs against the NY Rangers:

He also delivered another curl and drag beauty a few weeks ago against Ben Bishop and the Tampa Bay Lightning:

BEST NOT-OVECHKIN CAPITALS GOAL
Evgeny Kuznetsov has really emerged as a star for the Washington Capitals within the past year. His goal in the quarterfinals Game 7 against the NY Islanders was a goal that clinched the series for the Capitals, and it really put Kuznetsov’s name all around the hockey circles:

BEST BIZARRE GOAL
Okay Dmitry Orlov, we know you are good. He somehow pulled a rabbit out of the hat against Colorado back on November 21:

BEST HELPER
Normally, one would think of Nicklas Backstrom as having a pretty pass to set up a goal. Backstrom has had a ton of those moments in his career. But the best helper this year has to go to Evgeny Kuznetsov, who is an absolute magician with the puck. Here is a beautiful backwards pass to Marcus Johansson for a goal against the Bruins back in April:

BEST SAVE
Braden Holtby is one of the top goaltenders in the NHL right now. Check out this save he made back on November 23 against the Edmonton Oilers. He knows how to snag with style:

BEST HIT
The player that is public enemy #1 around the NHL is Capitals forward Tom Wilson. Why is he hated by referees and many opposing teams? Because he steamrolls and runs through players. Remember this hit from the 2015 NHL Playoffs that knocked Lubomir Visnovsky into the following week?

BEST TWO-FOR-A-DOLLAR
T.J. Oshie had a great hit that knocked 2 Florida Panthers into each other on December 10 in Sunrise, FL:

BEST USING YOUR HEAD TO MAKE A PLAY
Tom Wilson has emerged as a solid defensive forward for the Capitals. He is willing to sacrifice his body for his teammates. Back in April, he took a slapshot to the head against Detroit:

BEST FRIENDLY FIRE
T.J. Oshie and Andre Burakovsky had a bad collision with each other back in October. Whoops. Thankfully both were okay. They can both laugh about it now:

BEST TEAM BRAWL
Ah, just a casual “Wednesday Night Rivalry” matchup with the Pittsburgh Penguins back in February. Somehow, Capitals roomies Tom Wilson and Michael Latta were found in the Penguins bench:

BEST GAME
Winter Classic 2015. Chicago Blackhawks vs. Washington Capitals. Nationals Park. Outdoor hockey and flying seat cushions. It was an amazing experience:

BEST “OMG” MOMENT
Speaking of the Winter Classic, the flying seat cushions for Troy Brouwer’s game-winning goal was unexpected, but very fun to be a part of:

BEST BEATDOWN
Madison Square Garden is a house of horrors for the Washington Capitals. The Capitals have experienced many bad things in that building. The Capitals last visit to the Garden in 2015 was on December 20. They defeated the Rangers 7-3 after scoring 6 unanswered goals in the 2nd and 3rd periods. Hopefully that game has reversed the Capitals bad fortunes in New York.

BEST BUZZER BEATER
While on the subject of the Capitals at Madison Square Garden, the best buzzer beater came in New York in Game 1 of the semifinals against the NY Rangers. Former Washington Capital Joel Ward scored the game-winning goal for the Capitals with 1.3 seconds remaining in the game:

BEST IRRITATION OF THE OPPOSING CROWD
Brooks Orpik managed to get a beer thrown at him on Long Island back in the 2015 NHL Playoffs. There are some people that are not so friendly:

And there we have the Best 15 moments of the Capitals in 2015. It was a wild ride, let’s see what 2016 can bring!  Happy New Year!

By George Foussekis