 In addition, the team holds an association with a number of individuals inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.The Capitals are presently affiliated with two minor league teams, the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League, and the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL.Along with the Kansas City Scouts, the Capitals joined the NHL as an expansion team for the 1974–75 season (although the city of Washington was awarded a franchise on July 8, 1972).