WASHINGTON — Newly hired Capitals head coach Adam Oates liked what he saw scouting Washington last year while working as an assistant with the New Jersey Devils.

While scouting Washington in case the teams met in playoffs, Oates said he saw a team — coached by defensive-minded Dale Hunter, who replaced fired and up-tempo-inclined Bruce Boudreau earlier in the season — committed to the finer details of hockey.

“I don’t see any reason to change that,” Oates said Wednesday when he was introduced as the Capitals coach. “.I really feel the game today is territory. You have to establish territory and protect it.”

Capitals general manager George McPhee said he saw those traits — defending well, winning faceoffs and killing penalties — in Oates the player.

“That part of the game is learned, and he learned it well,” McPhee said.

Capitals owner Ted Leonsis fondly recalled Oates, who played for the Capitals from 1996-2002, teaching the new owner about hockey.

Years later, when Oates returned to Washington as a Tampa Bay Lightning assistant, Leonsis, McPhee and Oates spoke for a while before Oates departed.

“I remember saying to George, ‘He’s a really smart guy, isn’t he?”’ Leonsis said. “And he said, ‘He’s the smartest player I’ve been around.’”