Capitals react to new Hometown Remix jerseys, from childhood memories to marble confusion

The Washington Capitals unveiled their Hometown Remix jersey on Monday, giving players — some of whom had already worn or seen the design in the preceding weeks and months — their first opportunity to comment publicly on the new sweater.

The new alternate jersey marries vintage colors and branding with a new shade of blue and modern textures. The team’s Capitol Dome logo, last featured on the front of a jersey in 2007, serves as the crest, while there are Screaming Eagle patches on the shoulders. Black and bronze striping runs across the sleeves and waist, while the white sections of the sweater feature marble-inspired detailing that pays homage to DC’s architecture.

The jersey was particularly fun for Tom Wilson who once wore one of the vintage black jerseys when he was growing up in Toronto.

“Yeah, they’re nice,” Wilson said to the media after practice on Monday. “Very different than what we’ve worn the last bunch of years. Definitely a cool spin on things, bringing some of the history of the jersey back around. Kind of a cool trend across the league… I grew up with a black-with-gold-trim Ovi jersey when I was a kid, so it’s cool to see that logo come back.”

Wilson was the main model for the Capitals’ new sweater, shooting promotional photos that were dropped in the NHL’s official release on Monday morning.

He appeared to first see the jersey while attending the NHL Media Tour in early September.

Other Capitals stars threw on the jerseys recently, taking photos and filming videos for the Capitals.

“I think the black looks good with the blue, that color blue, and I think the gloves look nice,” Dylan Strome said. “I like the gold and black together. I think it looks really good So yeah, I’m excited to wear them.”

Strome added, “I think the fans like them. I think they usually do a really good job with the third jerseys or the fourth jersey, whatever jersey it is. So it looks good.”

When asked what feature of the jersey Strome liked most, Strome pointed to the white texture, turning the question into a question of his own.

“Oh, the marbling. I don’t know why there’s marbling, but there’s marbling, right? What is the marbling reference?”

“Monuments,” the media responded.

“Monuments, okay. I figured it was something to do with that, but I didn’t know if there was one specific monument that has marbling on it. Yeah. That’s my favorite.”

Wilson’s favorite part of the jersey was the bronze accents, though he, like Strome, described them as gold.

“I think bringing the gold back is cool,” Wilson said. “Gold stars, gold trim, obviously.”

“I like them, I like them,” head coach Spencer Carbery said. “I like what they’re doing with these remixes. I think it’s comparable to the MLB and the City Connects. I think they look good.”

When told they were stocked in the Capitals Team Store just a couple hundred steps or so away from the podium, Carbery grew excited.

“Are they? Are they in the pro shop?” he asked.

“Yeah. I might have to grab one on my way out,” Monumental Sports Network’s Tarik El-Bashir responded. “Christmas gift.”

“I might actually make my way in there,” Carbery said. “Thank you for the heads up.”

The team will first wear the jerseys on Saturday, November 7 against the Florida Panthers, one of 11 times they’ll put on the bright blue sweaters this season.

One other fun wrinkle is that if Alex Ovechkin can score a goal while wearing the sweater, it will mark the 13th different Capitals jersey he’s lit the lamp in during his 22-season career in the NHL.

Every Washington Capitals jersey Alex Ovechkin has worn in NHL games

“He’s worn a lot of different jerseys in his career, so if you hang around long enough, you get that luxury,” Wilson quipped.