The Washington Capitals didn’t quite look themselves when they took the ice at Enterprise Center, Saturday, sporting a small but very noticeable uniform change. The Capitals wore navy blue helmets with their white away jersey and navy pants.
For the last 14 years, the Capitals have worn white buckets with that get-up, suggesting they packed the wrong helmets for the road trip. But according to Monumental Sports Network’s Al Koken, this was an intentional decision made by the team and the Caps even worked it out with the St. Louis Blues beforehand.
“You obviously noticed a different look for the Capitals on the road tonight,” Koken explained during the first period of the telecast. “They’re wearing their blue helmets for the first of two times (on the road) this year. Equipment manager Brock Myles told me that the NHL sent a letter to all teams if you can work it out with the other team you can choose to wear a different helmet occasionally. So this is the first time they’re going to do it this year. Then the next time is going to be January 11 down in Nashville. Visiting team San Jose is going to wear teal on December 3.”
Art is subjective so everyone’s going to have a different opinion, but I personally don’t like the change. The helmet gives the uniform a heavier, darker look and takes away from the patriotic colors. While watching the game on TV, the helmet appears to be a different navy blue color than the piping on the jersey and pants, but that may just be because the plastic reflects light different than the fabric of the pants.
To me, this doesn’t work. There was a reason why the designers picked the white helmets originally and the look went unchanged for nearly 20 years. If you’re going to tinker, just rebrand both uniforms, both home and away. And that solution, for the record, rhymes with Beaming Beagle.
