The Vienna Capitals Hockey Club were founded 2001, and prolong the long and well-marked tradition of ice hockey in the capital of Austria. In 2005, the Capitals made history by becoming the first Viennese hockey champions in 43 years. Since 2011-12, the Caps have played their home games in a multi-purpose ice sports centre now known as the 'Erste Arena', which allows a capacity of 7,000 spectators.

Throughout the years, Vienna has been Austria's best-drawing club in attendance, regularly gathering crowds of 5,000-plus. The Vienna Capitals were a member of the European Trophy club competition and have progressed as far as the semi-finals. In 2012/13 and again in 2014/15, the Caps reached the EBEL finals. Although they were winners of the 2013-14 regular season, their post-season ended early in the quarter-finals. In 2016/17 they dominated the EBEL regular season, and went on to sweep the playoffs without dropping a game.

In 2017/18 they again dominated the regular season, but were surprisingly eliminated in the Semi-Finals. With Serge Aubin departing to ZSC Lions in the summer of 2018, the Capitals re-organised off the ice with the appointment of former Calgary Flames Assistant Coach Dave Cameron. The Canadian led the team to a second-place finish in the 2018/19 season, securing their CHL qualification in the EBEL's Pick Round. However the Caps' bid for a return to the playoff finals saw them agian fall in the Semi-Final stage, going out to eventual champions KAC in six games.

Vienna have been a mainstay in the Champions Hockey League but have found advancing past the Group Stage a hard hurdle to get over. After getting through the first stage in their first two seasons, the Capitals have not managed to repeat it since.