Several players on this year’s Washington Capitals roster have taken advantage of the NHL’s decision to end off-ice dress codes prior to this season.
One of those players is Brandon Duhaime, who apparently caught heat from locker room fashion cop, Tom Wilson, for one of his recent outfits.
Duhaime told the story of his run-in with the Capitals’ alternate captain and how Wilson’s dislike of his outfit forced him to dress more formally for the next two weeks on the most recent episode of The Line Change Podcast.
“Unfortunately, if you show up with a bad fit, you can have to wear a suit for two weeks,” Duhaime told host Katie Florio. “You’ve got a suspension.”
When asked to identify who was the one making those decisions, Duhaime quickly outted Wilson.
“Tom would probably be the guy,” he said. “Tom gave me a two-week suspension for having a great outfit, I guess. I just got off that suspension, and last game was my first game back. This is strictly based on if he likes it or not. For the most part, he’s usually wrong.”
Duhaime also revealed why he believes Wilson has seemingly made him a target for punishment. “Usually, you go after the guy with good style,” he said. “You know what I mean? That’s kinda the way I look at it.”
Connor McMichael, who joined Duhaime as a guest on the podcast, agreed, saying, “Yeah, they’re jealous,” but also gave his own potential explanation. “No Reebook,” McMichael said.
Wilson officially became partners with Reebok after signing an endorsement deal with the brand last year. Since the agreement was signed, Wilson has worn a navy blue Reebok undershirt during games featuring his number 43 on the chest, as well as lifestyle gear, including different-colored Reebok Hockey hats, at press conferences.
Duhaime and McMichael later selected Swedish defender Rasmus Sandin and winger Sonny Milano as their two teammates with the best style.
Duhaime, recently freed from suspension, expects to be quickly put back on notice by Wilson once the latter returns from the upper-body injury that has kept him out of the lineup for eight games.
“He wasn’t playing, so he didn’t see me walk in last game,” Duhaime said. “He’ll probably end up putting me on suspension again, but it is what it is. I’ll take it.”
The last outfit of Duhaime’s that the Capitals have on record included a simple grey crewneck sweatshirt. He wore it ahead of the team’s game against the Florida Panthers last weekend.
The Capitals are currently on a season-long, six-game road trip, so any future glimpses of Duhaime’s fits will likely come when they return to Capital One Arena at the end of this month.
