On November 7, 1974, the Boston Bruins hosted the newly formed Washington Capitals at the legendary Boston Garden. The Bruins, hovering around the .500 mark early in the 1974-75 NHL season, found the perfect opportunity to gain momentum against the struggling expansion team.
The Capitals, sitting at a dismal 1-9-1, were no match for the Bruins and certainly not for Bobby Orr. The Hall of Fame defenseman wasted no time, opening the scoring just 3:51 into the first period. Orr then assisted on goals by Don Marcotte and Johnny Bucyk, wrapping up the period with three points.
Orr wasn’t done. He scored again just 55 seconds into the second period, then completed his hat trick later that frame. He capped off a six-point night with another assist on Phil Esposito’s 14th goal of the season.
The Bruins cruised to a 10-4 victory. Orr finished with three goals, three assists, eight shots, and an impressive +7 rating. Esposito added four points of his own with a goal and three helpers. The Capitals’ goaltending tandem had a rough night. Ron Low allowed six goals on 19 shots before being relieved by Michel Belhumeur, who gave up four more on 22 attempts.
Bobby Orr proved to be a nightmare for Washington all season long. In four games against the Capitals, he tallied 16 points. Boston dominated the season series, outscoring the Caps 41-10 over five games. However, the third meeting ended in a surprising 3-3 tie, a small but meaningful milestone for the NHL’s newest franchise.
Washington Capitals Inaugural Season
The Washington Capitals joined the NHL, along with the Kansas City Scouts, for the 1974-75 season. It did not go well. The eight wins the Capitals recorded remain as the least by any team in a single season with at least a 70 game schedule. The team finished with just 21 points over 80 games, 20 points behind their expansion cousins in Kansas City.
Placed in the Norris Division, the Caps were fifth out of the five teams, a massive 92 points behind the division leading Montreal Canadiens. Tommy Williams led the team with 22 goals and 58 points. Michel Belhumeur was the team's best goaltender with a 5.37 goals against average while Ron Low recorded a 5.45 GAA. John Adams played eight games between the pipes and had a 6.90 GAA and an 0-7 record.
Twice during that 1974-75 season, Washington lost games by the score of 12-1, once to the Boston Bruins and once to the Pittsburgh Penguins. In the match with the Pens, Low faced 50 shots and Belhumeur took on 15 in relief for a total of 65. In seven games, that allowed 10 or more goals. The most they scored in a game was eight in an 8-4 win over Pittsburgh.
Ron Low did manage to record the franchise's first shutout, stopping all 32 shots in a 3-0 win over the Kansas City Scouts. It would get slightly better for the team in 1975-76, winning eleven games and totaling 32 points.
