Today, we associate the Washington Capitals with great players like Alex Ovechkin, and just a few years ago, they won the Stanley Cup.
But in the 70s, they weren’t as successful.
They were awarded an expansion franchise, and they entered the league in 1974-75. But things couldn’t have gone much worse, at least on the road.
They finished with the worst record in the league at 8-67-5. The .131 is still the worst winning percentage in NHL history.
But what was even more remarkable was their record on their road.
They lost a whopping 39(!) of 40 on the road and broke several NHL records, including most consecutive losses and most consecutive road losses. It even got to the point where head coach Jim Anderson said:
”I’d rather find out my wife was cheating on me than keep losing like this. At least I could tell my wife to cut it out.”
But on March 28, 1975, it finally happened. The Capitals topped the California Golden Seals, 5-3, in front of almost 4,000 people at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.
It would be the Capitals’ only road victory that season, and of course, they needed to celebrate.
But how do you celebrate finally winning after being that bad? The Capitals found the perfect way.
They took turns holding a green, cylindrical trash can and hoisted it like they had won the Stanley Cup. That’s how the Capitals invented the now infamous Stanley Can.
”That was our Stanley Cup,” said goalie Ron Low, who played in net that night, per Bleacher Report. ”We came into the dressing room and the trash can was tall and skinny, so guys just started lifting it up and parading it around. Ace Bailey, one of the great jokesters of all time, took it after everybody signed it and twirled the rink with it. It was the most hilarious thing.”
