After I finished up my weekly skate at Kettler Capitals Iceplex, I put on my shoes and strolled into the Caps team store. I was hoping to find ironic Metropolitan Division champs merchandise to wear at RMNB parties.
Instead, what I found left me excited beyond belief. Everything’s on sale.
The shelves are starting to get a little barren, but they are still stocked full of player tees, all 40 percent off. Jerseys, hats, you name it, are also discounted just as much.
The deep markdowns are necessary. The NHL is switching to Adidas, the parent company of Reebok and CCM, as their jersey and main appeal provider. Some company logos are going to change. Brace yourself.
The aforementioned Reebok player shirts will look the same as new ones. Despite that, a handful of teams will modify their uniforms just a bit, but not the Caps.
There is a bit of tragic news. Teams won’t be allowed to wear third jerseys this year so Adidas doesn’t get overwhelmed. Yep, the retro reds are out. A massive rack of the beautiful thirds greeted you as you entered the store. They were, of course, on sale.
The media in Las Vegas will get to see the new threads first at an “unveil party” on Tuesday. The dress code is “creative casual.” I don’t know what that means, other than I’m going to show up dressed in Capitals discount merchandise featuring the team’s Russian top-pair defenseman.
