Welcome to the 1st Annual 2015-16 Capys Award Show, presented by Nova Caps!

It has been a magical regular season for the Washington Capitals!  The NHL’s best team in the regular season gave their fans plenty to cheer about over the course of the 82 games.

Players should be awarded for any kind of individual achievements, and those achievements can happen on or off the ice.  The Capitals have many characters on their team, which makes this piece so much easier to write.  If you are a Capitals fan, I hope you are able to get some comic relief out of this piece.

Without any further adieu, let’s get down to business and hand out some Capys!

YOU’VE BEEN A BAD BOY, MOJO! AWARD – MARCUS JOHANSSON

What?  Are you serious?  Yes, Marcus Johansson actually GOT SUSPENDED for 2 games in January for laying this HUGE blow on NY Islanders defenseman Thomas Hickey.  Usually, it is Tom Wilson or Alex Ovechkin laying the smackdown on their opponents with crushing hits.  But Marcus?  Marcus could be in the running for the Lady Byng Trophy every season.

END OF AN ERA AWARD – BROOKS LAICH

His contract became a problem on the Capitals books, and in a salary cap world, the fewer bad contracts a team has, the better off they will be.

Laich was a loyal soldier in Washington for over a decade, and was a huge fan favorite.  With Laich’s trade to Toronto, the Capitals declared that they are “in it, to WINnik” and they also freed up some cap space for their future.  The Capitals gave Brooks Laich a heck of a tribute video in his return to DC on March 2.

MID-SEASON UPGRADE AWARD – MIKE RICHARDS

The Capitals became a little thin at the centre ice position in January.  On January 6, Brian MacLellan signed former Flyers and Kings forward Mike Richards to a 1-year deal.

It is safe to say it was a good low-risk move for the Capitals.  Richards has shown that he is very versatile, as he is a good penalty killer and face-off man for the Capitals.  He can bounce up and down in the Capitals bottom-six group, which has given Barry Trotz more lineup flexibility.

DON’T JUST STAND THERE, BUST A MOVE AWARD – JUSTIN WILLIAMS

So what is one thing we have learned about Justin Williams in his debut season with the Washington Capitals?  He likes to dance on the bench, to Cotton Eye Joe.  Never change, Justin.

FUN ROOMIES AWARD – TOM WILSON AND MICHAEL LATTA

Great time w the boys last night. #capsdohalloween pic.twitter.com/DLGfbYXTSa

— Michael Latta (@Latta17) October 25, 2015

Caps canine calendars are for sale online and at the caps store! Get em while they are hot to help out the pups. pic.twitter.com/ecswlAR5z8

— Tom Wilson (@tom_wilso) November 24, 2015

Tom Wilson and Michael Latta are the guys you would love to have a beer with.  What is this fascination with Ketchup?

SIDNEY CROSBY HEAD BASHING AWARD – T.J. OSHIE

Sidney Crosby is one of the best players in the world.  However, he should probably stay away from the rough stuff on the ice.  And he might want to stay away from T.J. Oshie’s fists.

THE FASTEST OLD GUY AWARD – JASON CHIMERA

Tom Wilson said Montreal’s bench called Jason Chimera old, which might have fired him up.

— Isabelle Khurshudyan (@ikhurshudyan) December 27, 2015

It was a game between the Capitals and Canadiens on December 26 at Verizon Center.  Someone on the Habs bench called Jason Chimera old, and the Ice Cheetah was the one who got the last laugh.

You should always respect your elders!

MILESTONE AWARD – ALEX OVECHKIN

Back on January 10, Alex Ovechkin hit the 500-career goals plateau.  He would add goal #501 later in the contest.  The Capitals defeated the Ottawa Senators 7-1 in this game.

The standing ovation from the crowd for Ovechkin is something that will never be forgotten.  Verizon Center was crazy, and it a milestone that is not seen very often.  Ovechkin is the greatest goal scorer of this generation.

COAST-TO-COAST AWARD – MATT NISKANEN

The Philadelphia Flyers decided to take a nap for a shift.  While the Flyers napped, Matt Niskanen took advantage of the situation.  So he decided to take the puck coast-to-coast up the ice.  Niskanen was rewarded with a beautiful goal.

AWESOME HAIRDO AWARD – JUSTIN WILLIAMS

Picture day finest 👌 #RockTheRed pic.twitter.com/jfFnSTJq1d

— Washington Capitals (@washcaps) March 28, 2016

Mr. Game 7 certainly did not disappoint for the Capitals team photo day.

I CAME IN LIKE A WRECKING BALL AWARD – TOM WILSON

Tom Wilson is one of the most physical forwards in the NHL.  He loves to create havoc on the ice.

Even Patrick Roy is not a fan…

SWEET SAUCE AWARD – EVGENY KUZNETSOV

Evgeny Kuznetsov is pretty good at passing the puck.  He can fool the goalies with his magical hands behind the net.

You have to have a good set of hands to rack up over 50+ assists in a season.

SITTING ON THE JOB AWARD – JUSTIN WILLIAMS

Justin!  Watch out where you are skating!  A really really flexible goalie could be stretching near you.  If you are going to interfere with a goalie, interfere with the opposition’s goalie!

OOPS, I LANDED IN THE WRONG BENCH AWARD – TOM WILSON

Tom Wilson was down and out for the count on the Minnesota Wild bench back in February.

Hockey is a fast sport, and sometimes players end up in positions they do not want to be in.  I am sure Wilson and his Capitals teammates shared a good laugh after this incident.

BEST 10-SECOND SEQUENCE AWARD – BRADEN HOLTBY AND ALEX OVECHKIN

Braden Holtby made a big save, and that was followed up with an Alex Ovechkin game-winning goal.  This wonderful sequence happened back in January as the Capitals defeated the NY Rangers 4-3 in overtime at Madison Square Garden.

The Capitals best players made big plays when the game was on the line.

By: George Foussekis