The Erie Otters wore specially designed Black History jerseys during their Martin Luther King Jr. Day game against the Mississauga Steelheads on Monday. The jerseys were designed by DC native, Black Girl Hockey Club member, and popular hockey artist, Jordan Dabney.
Jo, also a big Capitals fan, was inspired to design the jerseys because Andre Burakovsky and Dylan Strome played their junior hockey with Erie.
Over the weekend, Jo and her family made the 400-mile drive up for the game. The Otters honored Dabney with a jersey of her own and let her drop the ceremonial first puck.
We’ve seen this before 😉 Congrats Jo! We’re so proud of you! pic.twitter.com/DsVTLbq3R5
— Black Girl Hockey Club (@BlackGirlHockey) January 16, 2023
“It was my first time doing a puck drop,” Jo said in an interview. “I did practice a few times at home before I left because I was nervous.
“It ended up being surprisingly easy,” she added laughing.
Jo also got to see her sweaters in person during warmups – though she missed part of it because she was being interviewed by the team.
“The entire atmosphere at the game felt like a college game if that makes sense,” Jo said. “Everyone was so pumped before the game even started and after doing the puck drop everyone kept coming up to me. They were extremely kind and welcoming to me and my family.”
Here’s also an explainer of what all the details mean on Jo’s Otters logo.
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 team plans to wear the jerseys one more time during warmups for their Black History Night game on February 28.
The best part is that, after receiving massive demand, the Erie Otters are putting Jo’s Black History jersey and a t-shirt featuring her logo up for sale in their store.
The moment you've all been asking for! Go and grab your Black History t-shirt in the Otters' Den or online by clicking the link below!
🔗: https://t.co/Ep9qeWNwqb pic.twitter.com/muttafefD0
— Erie Otters 🦦 (@ErieOtters) January 16, 2023
The Otters also have a signed Andre Burakovsky photo available for $11.32.
Photos: James DiCioccio/Erie Otters
