Believe it or not, Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke and coach George Allen conspired against the Capitals before their first-ever home game.Cooke also owned the L.A. Kings, who would christen Capital Centre against the Caps on Oct. 15, 1974. Before the team bus left for the rink, Allen boarded to give the Kings a pep talk.
As Bob Miller recounts in Tales From The Kings, Allen clapped his hands as he talked. "Aware the Kings were unbeaten in 3 straight, Allen said, 'Remember men, four is better than three,' and then left the bus." Not exactly "Win one for the Gipper."
With that suspect motivation, L.A. and Washington slogged to a 1-1 tie. Five years later, a disenchanted Cooke sold the team, famously lamenting that transplanted Canadians didn't buy enough tickets to Kings games. "Now I know why they left Canada - they hate hockey!"