The Washington Capitals will celebrate their 50th anniversary in 2024-25 with a series of fun events, but most importantly (to us, anyway), a fantastic new series of commemorative anniversary logos and a jersey patch.
The logo was designed in collaboration with FANBRANDZ. Over the past decade-plus, this agency has created a few dozen top-tier professional league event logos. They’re good.
The main Capitals’ 50th anniversary logo (yes, there are a few different anniversary logos) features many nods to the original Washington Capitals logo—lowercase italic lettering, red and blue stars, and a hockey stick descending with a puck on its blade are synonymous with the Washington Capitals.
But this is different from the logo that will appear on the jerseys…
Instead, the home and road sweaters will feature a secondary 50th anniversary logo, presented in the modern, darker shades of navy blue and red used by the Caps. The stars, lowercase lettering, and the Capitals logo are removed. A banner is added on either side of the 50 that reads EST 1974; the logo itself is given some depth to make it appear as if it’s tilted slightly to the right, but the hockey stick and puck are still there.
“The Capitals’ 50th Anniversary visual identity borrows themes from a distinctive graphic design style that emerged in 1970’s and was widely used during the Capitals first year in the league,” explained the team in the press release. “The primary brand element – the graphic stripes – was inspired by early Caps socks and jerseys, with geometric curves used in posters and trading cards of the period. The hockey stick used as a ‘t’ in the original logo is also used as a graphic link to the past and through the past 50 years of Caps greatness. The reverse italic font – a custom typeface – was created to honour the Capitals’ original logo in 1974.”
Fans will get their first look at the patch on the jersey, for reals, when the team presents their jersey to their pick at the upcoming 2024 NHL Draft on Friday. One of the team’s 50th anniversary logos will appear at centre ice at the Capital One Arena throughout the 2024-25 season.
“We are excited to launch a celebration of the Capitals’ vibrant past and honour our history as we mark 50 years as an NHL franchise,” said Jim Van Stone, President of Business Operations and Chief Business Officer at Monumental Sports & Entertainment, in the press release. “Fans can anticipate several events and initiatives that will uniquely commemorate this milestone, and we are eager to share the celebration with our fanbase.”
In addition to the logo and branding, the Capitals have planned various events and initiatives to engage fans. These include the Caps 50th Kickoff Celebration, Alumni Weekend, special Eras Nights, and enhanced digital and social media content.
Now, maybe this is nothing, but I noticed in their unveiling video a 1990s-coloured version of the anniversary logo appeared ever-so-briefly:
Does this mean a throwback uniform, perhaps this season? A 50th anniversary would be the time to do it, and the club is planning “eras nights,” which will pay tribute to the different time periods in team history.
LINK: Washington Capitals all-time logo and uniform history
The Washington Capitals joined the NHL as an expansion team alongside the Kansas City Scouts (now the New Jersey Devils) for the 1974-75 season. After a less-than-stellar debut where they set several dubious records, the Capitals eventually found their footing. They made a run for the Stanley Cup in 1998 before dropping a four-game final series to the stacked Detroit Red Wings. Two decades later, the Capitals finally defeated the Vegas Golden Knights and captured the 2018 Stanley Cup Championship.
During their fifty years, the Capitals have primarily worn red-white-and-blue star-studded uniforms, owing to their playing in the capital city of the United States (which, of course, also serves as the inspiration for their name). For the 1995-96 season, the club went in an entirely new direction, replacing the patriotic colours with blue, black, and bronze and adopting a star-clad eagle as their primary logo. The team turned to significantly modernizing their “classic” look in 2007, returning to a red, white, and blue colour scheme.
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