Trivia doesn't get more trivial than this: 4 previous D.C. franchises have been Caps, Capitols, or Capitals.The Washington Capitols disbanded in 1951 after 2 seasons in the fledgling NBA. That beat the one season (1969-70) for the ABA's Washington Caps. When the World Football League awarded a Washington franchise in 1974, its name was originally Capitals (later changed to Ambassadors). Either way, the team never played a game before moving to Florida.
Finally, there's Washington's National League baseball team - of the 19th century. Nicknames were sporadically used in those days, so some records retroactively named the team the Nationals. But Kerry Keane's book, 1951, has this reference to the playing career of legendary manager Connie Mack: Mack's first season "being as a catcher with the National League's Washington Capitals in 1888."
Oh, and as of 2008, the original Washington Capitals hockey logo is still in use... but you'll have to travel 2,944 miles to see it in action.At right is the logo of the Cowichan Valley Capitals, a member of the British Columbia Hockey League in Duncan, B.C.