Alex Ovechkin broke into the NHL with the Washington Capitals during the 2005-06 season. At that time, the Capitals’ wore jerseys sporting the Screaming Eagle crest in white and the Capitol Dome logo in black.
Eighteen years later, Ovi’s fondness for these logos has grown exponentially and Monday, he showed his latest deference to the designs.
When entering MedStar Capitals Iceplex, Ovechkin was asked to pick out his favorite hand-painted hockey skates and sneakers for the Capitals’ celebration of Black History Month. It did not take long for Ovi to make a decision.
“I like the retro,” Ovechkin said. “Always retro.”
The special skates and sneakers are a part of the Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation’s Black History Month auction to benefit the Capital Impact Fund.
The team also unveiled its special Black History Month jersey, which celebrated the team’s 11 Black players on Monday.
Per the Capitals:
The jersey was designed by Washington, D.C., based illustration and art director J. Freeman Robinson. 1 pair of game-worn autographed skates and 1 pair of autographed sneakers were painted by Cory Bailey, also known as Sierato; 2 pairs of game-worn autographed skates and 2 pairs of autographed sneakers were painted by Lloyd Ferguson, also known as SwaggyPicasso; and 3 pairs of game-worn autographed skates and 3 pairs of autographed sneakers were painted by David Zambrano, also known as Dez.
The MSE Foundation auction featuring the jerseys, skates, sneakers and pucks opens at noon on Feb. 26 and concludes at 3 p.m. on March 4 at washcaps.com/BHAuction.
Ovechkin’s love of the Capitals vintage gear has long been documented.
In 2020, Ovi personally asked the Capitals to bring the Screaming Eagle back on Instagram.
“@capitals the best one my 1st year 🙏🙏❤️️❤️️” Ovechkin wrote. In a second comment, he added, “lets make it happen… say yes pls… we all want it.”
When the Capitals rocked the second version of their Reverse Retro jerseys featuring the Screaming Eagle on black, Ovechkin scored in every game he wore it during the 2022-23 season. He even made a public plea to bring it back in 2023-24.
“Yeah, it sucks that it’s going to be our last game with this jersey,” Ovechkin said. “I hope they gonna think about it and put it back next year.”
Instead, the NHL said it was ending the Reverse Retro program after signing a 10-year agreement with Fanatics.
But it’s possible the retro gear could come back in another form if the Capitals choose to rebrand, updating their home and away jerseys, or come out with a new alternate. The Capitals are currently celebrating their 50th anniversary and this is the last season the Capitals are wearing their navy blue W sweaters.
