The Washington Capitals are celebrating Black History Month in a big way once again this season.
Ahead of their final game of the NHL’s Olympic break, the team unveiled a new Black History specialty jersey — their third iteration of the sweater since 2024.
This year’s design was created by Bailiwick Clothing, a Washington, D.C.-based apparel brand that specializes in high-quality, locally inspired t-shirts, hoodies, and hats, celebrating the culture of the DMV. Bailiwick’s Black History jersey veered away from the Capitals’ wordmark logo and all-black sweaters of the past, instead utilizing the Screaming Eagle on red.
The design’s brilliance lies in the details that honor Black culture.
Screaming Eagle crest logo
The Screaming Eagle’s colors across the eyes, beak, and tongue are red, green, and yellow — the colors symbolizing Black History Month. The gold accents on the Screagle represent African royalty.
Left shoulder patch
📸: Washington Capitals
The left shoulder patch is grey and black, featuring an ALL CAPS and Weagle logo. The ALL CAPS tagline uses a gradient of colors to reflect different skin tones. Around the perimeter are the last names of the 12 Capitals Black players and alumni in team history.
Black players in Capitals history
Mike Marson
Bill Riley
Reggie Savage
Anson Carter
Jason Doig
Mike Grier
Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre
Donald Brashear
Joel Ward
Madison Bowey
Devante Smith-Pelly
Justin Sourdif
Right shoulder patch
📸: Washington Capitals
The right shoulder patch celebrates the Capitals’ 51st season in franchise history, but is also a nod to progressives in the city who want the district to become the 51st state in the country. The style draws inspiration from DC’s vintage Go-Go posters.
Captain letters and sleeve numbers
📸: Washington Capitals
The letters designating the captain and alternate captains on the team, as well as the sleeve numbers, contain 12 small stripes and a red, green, and yellow pattern — an additional salute to the 12 Capitals players and Black alumni — while the red, green, and yellow pattern represents Black History Month colors and the Pan-African Flag.
Player numbers (back)
📸: Washington Capitals
The player numbers on the back feature a diagonal Boundary Stones pattern, emulating the diamond shape of Washington, D.C. According to the team, the Boundary Stones are significant to local history and Black history, as they were plotted and surveyed by Benjamin Banneker, the legendary Black Astronomer who helped lay out the original plan for D.C. in 1792, and are the oldest federally placed monuments in the country.
Justin Sourdif
📸: Washington Capitals
Sourds gets his own section. He is great. Let’s admire this handsome king modeling the jersey.
More about the jersey designer
Bailiwick Clothing is founded by brothers JC and Jeff Smith. Inspired by the city’s culture and spirit, the brand creates designs that reflect local pride. The company, which is designed and printed locally, aims to tell the stories of the people, places, and things that make D.C. unique and is an online-only store that also participates in pop-up events throughout the city.
Jersey Auction
The jerseys, which will be signed by all players on the Capitals’ 2025-26 roster, will be up for bidding in a Celebrating Black History Auction conducted by the Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation. Money raised from the auction will benefit the Capitals’ Capital Impact Fund. Other items include Capitals Black History Month pucks and team-signed youth hockey jerseys that were part of the Capitals’ January Youth Hockey Day player arrivals.
The auction is already open and will conclude on February 28 at 3 pm.
You can bid on items through this link.
Per the team:
Last season’s Celebrating Black History Auction raised $53,245 for the Capital Impact Fund. The Capitals and Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation created the Capital Impact Fund in 2020 to provide financial support to local nonprofit organizations dedicated to further advancing diversity, equity and inclusion in hockey, along with funding the Rising Stars Academy. The fund aims to help minority youth players reach their greatest potential and create more equal playing fields for all.
Other Black History Month initiatives by the Capitals
Per a Capitals release:
Rising Stars Academy Clinic – Feb. 21
Capitals Youth Hockey Development will host a Rising Stars Academy clinic on Saturday, Feb. 21, at MedStar Capitals Iceplex for elite high-school Rising Stars athletes who were invited to participate. The clinic will feature on- and off-ice elements, including skill development sessions with participation by Capitals players. During the clinic, Capitals players will wear the team’s 2025-26 Celebrating Black History specialty jersey that is being auctioned off by MSE Foundation to benefit the Capital Impact Fund. Clinic participants will also be wearing a version of the jersey during the event.
The clinic will be run by Rising Stars lead instructor Bryan King alongside additional Rising Stars Academy coaches.
The Capitals launched the Rising Stars Academy in 2023 as a co-ed program established to provide elite skill development and mentorship for local hockey players of color. The inaugural Rising Stars Academy took place in 2023, with an emphasis on physical and mental strength as well as social discussions around hockey culture. The Rising Stars Academy is offered at no cost to participants and funded through the Capitals Capital Impact Fund.
Celebrating Black History Night – Feb. 27
The Capitals will host Celebrating Black History Night on Friday, Feb. 27, vs. the Vegas Golden Knights. Celebrating Black History Night will honor Black achievement in hockey and highlight how the organization is working to further grow the game. Additional details surrounding the game will be announced at a later date.
All fans in attendance will receive a Capitals tote bag courtesy of Giant.
The evening will also feature the debut of “District Dozen,” a remix of the original “Caps 11” song by Emmy Award winning musical artist Saukrates. “District Dozen” is dedicated to honoring the Black players and alumni in Capitals history. The song will be featured in a music video and on-ice projection during the game on Feb. 27.
Black Hockey History Display
Capitals fans are encouraged to visit the Black Hockey History Display at Capital One Arena, which was unveiled in February 2022. It is a permanent display on the main concourse at section 112 devoted to the Capitals Black history and players. It features:
Memorabilia including a 1975-76 home jersey worn by Mike Marson (1974-79), a game-used stick by Joel Ward (2011-15) and a game-worn helmet by Devante Smith-Pelly (2017-19).
A jersey featuring a Players Against Hate end racism shoulder patch. Capitals players wore and auctioned off the jerseys during the Feb. 25, 2021, Black History Night.
A timeline featuring Black players and key moments in Capitals history.
An interactive QR code that drives visitors to washcaps.com/blackhockey, featuring additional information to learn about the Capitals commitment to diversity, honoring Black players in history, community partners, resources and more.
Retail
A Capitals Celebrating Black History crew neck by Bailiwick will be available for purchase at the Team Store at Capital One Arena beginning in mid-February. A hat and hoodie featuring the Screaming Eagle design will also be available.
Black Hockey History Microsite
Visit the Capitals Black Hockey microsite for information on Capitals-specific and league-wide initiatives. The site also highlights Black athletes who have played with the organization, including detailed player biographies. In addition to highlighting specific programs and diversity initiatives, the site contains information on youth programs throughout the region and links to resource materials on black hockey.