Jersey

Capitals Unveil Winter Classic Jersey

The Capitals held an event at Nationals Park today to unveil the uniform for the 2015 NHL Winter Classic. In stark contrast to their sweaters from the 2011 Winter Classic, Washington opted to go with a completely new look, with hints back to history :

“We wanted to create a uniform that not only celebrates the history of the Capitals but also gives the team a unique, new look,” said Capitals president Dick Patrick. “We feel our fans will really embrace this uniform.”

“Each year, the NHL Winter Classic® uniform system is designed to pay homage to hockey’s outdoor roots,” said NHL Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President Brian Jennings. “We are extremely proud of the collaboration by Reebok, the Capitals® and the NHL to creatively balance Washington’s hockey past with today’s innovations.”

Monumental Network has a feature exploring the uniform and the origin of its design elements, which is receiving mixed reviews from hockey fans. Mike Vogel also has a deeper look at the design process. Late yesterday some images were shared by RMNB that seemed to indicate Blue as a primary color on the sweater, which luckily was not the case. We were all set to unleash a mega rant today, if the Caps WC jersey had indeed been blue. If there is one thing this Winter Classic sweater had to be, it was red. We question the wisdom of the background color choice in these PR images, but the jersey color is something we can get behind. It definitely looks better without that monochromatic backdrop :

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Overall we like the look, it’s a solid design with historical roots and classic styling. We think they accomplished their goal and ultimately it will be a big seller and embraced by fans. As long time Capitals fans though, we were definitely hoping for something more in line with the best Capitals jersey ever, something more like this…

alumni_17_slideAfter the white was selected in 2011, and then utilized as a 3rd jersey for the past few years, it seemed like the classic red above was a lock for this long-awaited hosting of the Winter Classic. That basic design went through a few different iterations with crest design and star placement, but remained generally the same for the first 20 years of the franchise. In a year when the Capitals celebrate their 40th anniversary, going in a different direction for the Winter Classic sweater is a bit of a shock. Once that shock wears off though, we think most fans will come to appreciate the new look in all of its stripey glory.

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Capitals NHL Winter Classic jerseys will be available for sale to the public in mid-November, but fans will be able to pre-order the jerseys on MonumentalNetworkShop.com beginning on Oct. 3. Shop.NHL.com, the official online store of the NHL operated by e-commerce provider Fanatics, will take pre-orders for Capitals NHL Winter Classic jerseys starting today. Other NHL Winter Classic apparel will be available at the Verizon Center Team Store during the final preseason game on Oct. 5 and at Kettler Capitals Iceplex, the official practice facility of the Capitals, with expanded selections coming in through the fall.

 

Philip Van der Vossen

Philip Van der Vossen is the Founder of Capitals Outsider. He is a former beer league player, a lifelong Capitals fan, and was a season ticket holder for 20 years.

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