The NHL may have eliminated its traditional dress code, but that doesn’t mean Washington Capitals players can wear whatever they want without consequences.
Just ask one Tom Wilson.
The Capitals’ alternate captain has earned the reputation as the team’s unofficial fashion police, handing out two-week suit suspensions to teammates whose game-day outfits don’t meet his standards.
But in a fashion-related interview with the NHLPA, Wilson revealed in the Fit Rewind that the punishment system wasn’t actually his idea. It apparently originated with the team’s captain and style icon, Alex Ovechkin.
“I think Ovi, actually, was the one that put the rule into place, and I just sometimes have to enforce it, I guess,” Wilson said when asked about his role as the locker room’s fashion sheriff.
The veteran winger was then asked what qualifies as a fashion violation serious enough to warrant a two-week suit suspension.
“We draw the line at if somebody could tell that you’re an NHL player walking into the rink,” Wilson explained. “(If they can), then you’re good. If they told you to wait at the door and asked for extra credentials or something, then it’s no good.”
Just to be clear, because these are not at all subjective, he offered another objective example.
“So if you’re walking out and people are like, ‘Oh, great game tonight,’ you’re good. If you’re walking out with the masses and you just blend in, then (that’s) no good.”
Wilson also had some thoughts about what it says about a player’s wardrobe when they’re unable to stand out from the general public.
“If it’s that bad, I feel like the least of your worries should be wearing a suit for a couple weeks.”
The team’s informal fashion rules last made headlines in January when former Capitals forward Brandon Duhaime revealed Wilson had punished him for an outfit he wore to a game.
“Tom gave me a two-week suspension for having a great outfit, I guess,” Duhaime said. “For the most part, he’s usually wrong.”
“Yeah, they’re jealous,” Connor McMichael replied.
While Duhaime accused Wilson of targeting players with good fashion sense, McMichael jokingly suggested the punishment was more nefarious: whether players were wearing Reebok apparel or not. Wilson had signed an endorsement deal with the company the previous year.
Following other sports’ lead, the NHL relaxed its dress code ahead of the 2025-26 season. Players are no longer required to wear suits and ties to games, giving them significantly more freedom to express themselves. Wilson, however, hasn’t completely embraced the casual approach.
When asked what wardrobe staple every player should own, he immediately pointed to the traditional route.
“Like a good suit, probably,” Wilson said. “I mean, I wear a lot of suits. I didn’t really go with the casual dress code, but… that’s old school, but I think you need to have a good suit. Clean up if you can.”
It’s unclear how many suspensions have been doled out this season. Though, there have been plenty of fits from Capitals players that would qualify under Wilson’s blending-in-with-the-public rule.
Alex Tuch recently wore a sweatshirt to a game.
While Charlie Lindgren, in slide 6, and Pierre-Luc Dubois, slide 9, wore jeans when arriving to Capital One Arena one night.
Minus the designer bag, could you tell Logan Thompson is an NHL goaltender here? (Though upon research, that sweater retails for $398 on Neiman Marcus.)
But perhaps the rules were just made up for another reason: to keep Duhaime, the team’s biggest prank artist, in check, and all of it is academic at this point.
