Summary of the Washington Capitals 1993-94 Season: Coaching Change And Beating The Penguins In The Postseason

Photo: NHL

With the Washington Capitals celebrating their 50th anniversary, NoVa Caps is summarizing each of the previous 49 seasons of the team, from earliest to most recent. The series continues with the 1993-1994 season, their 20th season.

SUMMARY

The 1993-1994 season saw the Capitals finish with a 39-35-10 record for 88 points, which ranked third in the Atlantic Division.  They ranked 15^th out of 26 for goals scored and 12^th out of 26 for goals given up. [The NHL added two more expansion teams: the Florida Panthers, based in Miami, and the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.]

With team captain Dale Hunter suspended for the first 21 games, the Capitals seemed rudderless as they lost their first six games. Fortunately, they won nine of their next ten games but then lost their next four. Injuries did not help as they lost several key players during late November and December.

Photo: Heritage Art

The Capitals could not gain any consistency and found themselves 20-23-4 on January 27. Thus, they fired Head Coach, Terry Murray, and replaced him with Jim Schoenfeld.

They rebounded, winning seven of their next eight. During that time, Peter Bondra scored five goals in a single game in a 6-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Their record under Schoenfeld that season was 19-11-6 as they qualified for the playoffs.

The Capitals once again faced the Pittsburgh Penguins in the playoffs. Good things sometimes happen when you least expect it. Few expected the Caps to break their string of playoff losses to the Pens in 1993-94, since Pittsburgh entered as the No. 2 seed and Washington slipped in as the No. 7. But the Capitals won the series in six games, winning the finale 6-3 at home. Sadly, the joy was temporary, as the Caps then fell to the top-seeded Rangers in five games.

Notable Draft Picks

• Brendan Witt (D) – (1^st round – pick #11)
• Jason Allison (C) – (1^st round – pick #17)
• Patrick Boileau (C) – (3^rd round – pick #69)
• Andrew Brunette (LW) — (7^th round – pick #174)

General Manager: David Poile

Head Coach:

• Terry Murray — through January 27, 1994
• Jim Schoenfeld — since January 27, 1994

Captain: Kevin Hatcher

Leaders

Goals: Dmitri Khristich (29), Mike Ridley (26)
Assists: Mike Ridley (44), Michael Pivonka (36)
Points: Mike Ridley (70), Dmitri Khristich (58)
Penalty Minutes: Craig Berube (305), Enrico Ciccone (174)

Major Trades 

• June 15, 1993
  • Capitals acquire: Kevin Kaminski
  • Quebec Nordiques acquire: Mark Matier
• June 20, 1993
  • Capitals acquire: Future Considerations (Enrico Ciccone)
  • Dallas Stars acquire: Paul Cavallini
• June 26, 1993 (2 Trades)
  • Capitals acquire: 1993 7^th round pick (Andrew Brunette), Craig Berube
  • Calgary Flames acquire: Brad Schlegel, 1993 5^th round pick
• March 21, 1994
  • Capitals acquire: Jim Johnson
  • Dallas Stars acquire: Alan May, 1995 7^th round draft pick
• March 21, 1994
  • Capitals acquire: Joe Reekie
  • Tampa Bay Lightning acquire: Enrico Ciccone, 1994 3^rd round pick, 1995 conditional 5^th round pick
• March 21, 1994
  • Capitals acquire: Joe Juneau
  • Boston Bruins acquire: Al Iafrate

Previous Summaries

1974-75 Season
1975-76 Season
1976-77 Season
1977-78 Season
1978-79 Season
1979-80 Season
1980-81 Season
1981-82 Season
1982-83 Season
1983-84 Season
1984-85 Season
1985-86 Season
1986-87 Season
1987-88 Season
1988-89 Season
1989-90 Season
1990-91 Season
1991-92 Season
1992-93 Season

By Ethan Berman