The Capital Hockey senior club was created in 1896 by the Capital Hockey Association (CHA) hockey portion of the CAAA.
Perhaps best known are the early amateur senior men's ice hockey clubs which played from the 1890s until 1920. The club would challenge for the Stanley Cup in 1897, but abandon its challenge after one game, after it lost 15–2. The Capitals would later precipitate the breakup of the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada (AHAC). The nickname 'Capitals' is sometimes applied to the Ottawa Hockey Club (aka HC/Silver Seven/Generals/Senators), however the two teams were not affiliated.
The Capital Lacrosse Club was also successful, and won the first Minto Cup in 1901. The Capitals lacrosse club was one of the first amateur organizations that gave some of its players small amounts of money, causing a scandal that led to several of their athletes, including Bouse Hutton and Rat Westwick, being banned from amateur play against other organizations that frowned on any dilution of the amateur standard.