Mitch Gibson’s new Washington Capitals mask is a stunner.
Painted by Vice Design, a Columbus, Ohio-based custom mask shop, the bucket features a combination of the NHL’s team vintage and new logos and color schemes.
They posted photos of the design on their Instagram account.
The base white mask features a zoomed-in version of the Screaming Eagle logo reproduced on each side, while the team’s Capitol Dome logo sits on the crown in red and navy. Silver stars of differing saturations fill in the white space.
The backplate features the Weagle logo with his two former schools — Harvard’s crimson “H” shield on the right and the Phoenixville Area High School’s purple-and-white “P” logo on the left — placed in the wings.
Gibson, a Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, native, graduated from Phoenixville Area High School in 2017 before playing three NCAA seasons at Harvard from 2019-20 through 2022-23. He then turned pro in April 2023 and has played games for the South Carolina Stingrays and Hershey Bears, while also getting call-ups to the Capitals as a reserve.
The chin of the mask notably features Gibson’s moniker, the “Notorious G.I.B.,” designed into a modified Weagle logo, which also includes elements of a crown.
At Hershey’s breakdown day in May, I asked Gibson where he got the nickname.
“My dad was Notorious, so I’m more Gibby Smalls, as my Instagram handle says,” Gibson said smiling.
The moniker references Christopher Wallace — the slain mid-90s rapper known as both The Notorious B.I.G. and Biggie Smalls. His breakthrough hit was “Big Poppa.”
Gibson further explained that the logo first appeared after Vice Design drew inspiration from his social media profile, @gibbysmallss. It’s been a memorable feature of his masks since.
“I think my painter did that without… just put it on there,” Gibson said. “So I appreciate it. I guess it’s a name you’ve got to live up to a little bit — there’s a little bit of swagger associated with it.”
Vice Design has been creating masks for nearly two decades and has been popular in the NCAA/junior/prospect world. The most famous goaltender they’ve done a design for in the past is Brandon Bussi, who recently helped lead the Carolina Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup in June.
Gibson’s elite mask comes as Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren recently revealed their new buckets for the 2026-27 season at Capitals’ informal skates. All three were painted by three different artists.
Thompson’s “Mars Attacks!” mask was painted by Dave Fried of Fried Designs while Lindgren’s was airbrushed by Swedish artist Dave Gunnarsson.
Gibson, who signed a two-year, two-way extension with the Capitals in February, is expected to start next season in the AHL with Hershey, forming a likely duo with Clay Stevenson if he passes through NHL waivers.
The 27-year-old Gibson split time between Hershey and South Carolina in 2025-26. With the Bears, he posted a 9-9-5 record with a 2.94 goals-against average, a .903 save percentage, and one shutout in 23 appearances.
