A new fan favorite has emerged on the ice at Capital One Arena, but it’s not a player: It’s the Capitals’ blue “third” jerseys, which made their debut late last month.
The navy sweaters quickly shot their way to the top of the NHL’s bestselling jerseys list, with Alexander Ovechkin, Tom Wilson, and T.J. Oshie’s jerseys making up the top three sold between January 13 and February 1, according to Fanatics and The Athletic.
Hunter Lochmann, the chief marketing officer of Monumental Sports and Entertainment, says the jersey is so popular because “the blue is so new to the colors we’ve had over the last number of years.” The Caps are also honoring a frontline worker at every game where the blue jersey is worn, which creates a community connection to the jersey, Lochmann says.
The Caps chose a blue jersey in part because of the success of the sweater they wore for the 2018 Stadium Series game. When the NHL allowed them to create a new third jersey, Lochmann says, they jumped at the chance to “round out [their] main colors in a bold way.”
The Caps will wear the blue jerseys for seven games this season; the next time will be at their February 21 contest with the New York Rangers.
