The Erie Otters will be wearing special jerseys ahead of their matinee game against the Mississauga Steelheads on Monday, January 16.
In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Otters will wear specially-designed warmup jerseys that celebrate Black history, culture, and excellence. The sweaters were designed by DC native, Black Girl Hockey Club member, and popular hockey artist, Jordan Dabney.
Dabney, 22, is also a huge Capitals fan and cites Braden Holtby as her favorite player.
Jordan submitted a jersey and logo design that ended up being selected unanimously by a panel of judges that included Erie Black Wall Street members, members from the Otters Staff, and other entrepreneurs in the community.
“As a Black Woman hockey fan, I’ve learned that art and hockey help me connect with the communities I’m lucky enough to be in,” Dabney said in the Otters’ press release. “My designs not only celebrate the Erie Otters in a new way, but explore the patterns and recreations of designs found specifically in Black American cultures. I chose the patterns and colors to represent a balance between celebration of the history of a culture, but soft, rounded designs to represent the hopefulness of a community’s future.”
The jersey features the Otters logo reimagined as an x-ray. The otter’s bone structure subtly includes the letters E, O, and B. The E and the O abbreviations are self-explanatory while the B stands for Black Excellence. The design also incorporates iconography that celebrates the Black community .
Jordan, who also goes by the nickname Jo, posted an explainer of what each different part of the logo meant on her personal Twitter.
It took me a moment to think of the right words, but it's truly a privilege to be able to create art that celebrates Blackness and hockey.🖤
Here's the explanation behind my design, to better understand the creative direction I went in 🫶🏾 https://t.co/K49RtNooyG pic.twitter.com/yiPLQerM6k
— jovechkin (@notafan_jo) January 11, 2023
The Erie jersey comes a year after Jordan got national attention when she created the iconic and viral Black Rosie sweater for the Metropolitan Riveters of the Premier Hockey Federation.
“I don’t think it’s settled in yet,” Dabney said then. “Hockey is my favorite sport and design, at one point is something that I was going to do, and it’s just come together. And it’s impacted people in a way I couldn’t even imagine.”
Former Capitals Braden Holtby and Andre Burakovsky even rocked the jerseys in a show of support.
Jo designed the @Riveters Black Rosie jersey in celebration of Black History Month and is a HUGE Braden Holtby fan.
In honor of all she does for the hockey community, and with help from some friends, Braden received his Black Rosie jersey this morning! pic.twitter.com/gcA8vgbSmc
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) March 31, 2022
“We haven’t gotten to meet in person yet,” Holtby told me in September. “She’s incredible and she’s doing outstanding work. People like her are very important. Her looking up to me even in the slightest, it’s a pretty big honor.”
But for a young artist, the ultimate goal is to continue create more of these big moments and when they don’t happen, doubt can creep in.
“Honestly, my initial reaction when I found out my Erie design was picked was that I felt more relieved than anything,” Jordan said. “I was so worried that everything that happened with Black Rosie was a fluke, that when I got the email from the Otters I genuinely didn’t believe it at first.”
She was also announced the winner of the Capitals’ really towel design contest on Friday.
A fitting design for a Valentine's Day puck drop!
Congrats to Jo Dabney (@notafan_jo) on being chosen as the winner of our Design Your Own Rally Towel Contest, presented by @MedStarHealth, for an all-arena giveaway on Feb. 14. #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/uJTsOJzDFW
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) January 13, 2023
One of the reasons why Jordan ended up feeling inspired to submit a design to Erie was due to her strong Capitals ties.
“I wasn’t necessarily confident in my art after going all summer without really making or posting anything, so at first that I wasn’t going to apply,” Jordan said. “Then, I remembered Burakovsky had played for the Otters, and the Capitals had recently signed Dylan Strome, and I knew he played for them in the past as well. I took that as my sign to apply just in case there was a chance one of them would see the design.”
The Otters will wear the jerseys twice overall. The team will also rock them on February 28 for Black History Night. Following the game, the player-worn jerseys will be auctioned off and the proceeds will benefit Erie’s Black Wall Street.
The Otters are planning to utilize Jordan’s design in a limited-run merchandise series by Erie-based clothing brand, Erie Apparel. So make sure to look out for that.
