The Washington Capitals are celebrating Black History Month and announced several initiatives they’ll be implementing to do so. Part of that celebration includes the Capitals players donning special jerseys designed by the Kennedy Center’s J. Freeman Robinson during an on-ice clinic for youth hockey players on Monday afternoon.
The jerseys feature nods to the 11 Black players that have been Capitals since the franchise was established in an NHL expansion in 1974, including Mike Marson, Bill Riley, Reggie Savage, Anson Carter, Jason Doig, Mike Grier, Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre, Donald Brashear, Joel Ward, Madison Bowey, and Devante Smith-Pelly.
“I think the representation means a lot,” J. Freeman Robinson said Monday. “Not only the players that are represented by the artwork but also me being a Black artist in the community creating that artwork. I hope that it sparks the mindset of, ‘I can do this. I can play in the NHL. I can design a jersey for the NHL.’ I just think you can do whatever you put your mind to. If you have a dream, go for it.”
The specialty jerseys are accented by silver on the Capitals’ normal wordmark logo as well as on the numbers and patches adorning the shoulders. All 11 Black players in the Capitals’ history have their names on one of the shoulder patches in a typeface based on the signage that MLK Jr. used in his fight for equality. The patch also features a nod to the Capitals’ original logo and the year they drafted their first Black player, Mike Marson.
Additionally, all of the captain and alternate captain patches have been altered to feature the traditional Pan-African colors of red, yellow, and green.
All players on the Capitals 2023-24 roster will sign the specialty jerseys so that they can be auctioned off by the Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation to benefit the Capitals Capital Impact Fund. The Capital Impact Fund was created to “provide grants to organizations that can assist in eliminating cost barriers faced by individuals of color in the hockey community.”
The auction, run by the MSE Foundation, opens at noon on February 26 and concludes at 3 pm on March 4. In the past, the auction has also featured signed pucks, flags, and posters.
