The Capitals discuss how fashion has become a bigger part of hockey culture, their pregame routines and more.
WASHINGTON — For the Washington Capitals, game days are almost analogous to a red-carpet event. They'll arrive one-by-one dressed to the nines, sporting the likes of Louis Vuitton belts and Gucci loafers before trading them in for Warrior gloves and Bauer skates.
Washington still enforces a dress code, but the reality is that most players would probably still elect to wear a suit even if it wasn't required. After all, fashion and hockey culture have gone hand-in-hand for years now, with players opting for designer brands over the likes of pregame tracksuits or team-issued garb.
"I think it's just kind of the culture of the game. I don't know how far it dates back. You look at the olden days, all the coaches and stuff always were sharp in suits and ties and I think that's something that's been part of our game for a long time," Tom Wilson said. "Guys have different ways of adding personality within those parameters. Do whatever they want, flashy, not flashy, you know, subtle. Whatever guys are feeling."
For the Capitals locker room, it's a mixed bag. Each player has their own unique style on the ice, but off the ice, it's a whole different game, one that takes some time to get used to.
Nick Jensen, who earned "best dressed" accolades from his teammates in a room-wide vote, places a lot of emphasis on his pregame appearance and "looking the part."
"That's something that's always been the norm in hockey is wearing a suit to the game. It's kind of a mentality: this is your work. People dress properly for work," Jensen pointed out. "I was always told to just dress like a pro, so that's what I've always done and what I'll probably always do."
Jensen is perhaps the most particular about his style. He and his wife, Jenner, both have a good eye for fashion, with Jensen crediting his wife for helping contribute to his various pregame looks. But at the end of the day, there are two important aspects to keep in mind: accessories and colors that can go together.
"Style comes from her too, but the biggest part, I guess, is having an eye for what matches," Jensen explained. "I look at things that I think look good and I put them on... I got a few hats that are nice. I think certain accessories are cool like that. So wearing hats, outfits, jackets. Another big thing that I like that's something that can make an outfit look good: boots. I think jackets, hats and boots, kind of things that people don't really wear that often, can make your outfit look pretty good.
Jensen's signature is a Nick Fouquet hat, which features a matchstick as Fouquet's calling card. He owns a variety of Fouquet's hats but admitted that beyond those, he isn't necessarily worried about the name on the label.
"I agree with people who buy extremely expensive designer clothing because of the quality. I'm not a person that needs to buy something because it's got a big Gucci logo or something," he explained. "I buy things that have good quality to them, and they don't always have to be a name brand... but I do appreciate the quality of certain items like shoes. You can tell the difference between a nice pair of shoes."
Dylan Strome is more into the designer scene. His go-to brands are Louis Vuitton and Burberry, which he got teased for a bit during his days in Arizona. He also has a Moncler beanie that he takes with him on road trips in the winter. The 26-year-old's main accessory is a custom-made sport coat from Tom Barnett, which features photos of Strome's two golden retrievers, Benny and the late Wrigley, on the inside.
For the most part, though, he doesn't try to stray too outside the box.
"I'm pretty conservative... brown and black belts, brown and black shoes. If I'm wearing something that goes with brown, I'm wearing a brown belt and shoes. Not too difficult, but I do get a little bit nervous if I'm wearing something that doesn't go with brown shoes. I got to be careful with that; I try to keep it pretty simple."
Still, most of Strome's game-day outfits are all based on how the last game went.
"I'm a bit superstitious like that," Strome grinned. "So you'll probably catch me wearing the same suit as I wore last game, red with the red tie. If you win, or you know, maybe you score a goal or something and try to keep it the same, I think if you get too superstitious, it gets a little out of hand. Sometimes, you have to switch it up."
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Road trips also pose a challenge because there's only so much luggage a player can bring. It's all a learning process, though, and Strome has an easy way of approaching it.
"If we're on a five-game road trip, you're not going to bring five suits," he explained matter-of-factly. "I'm usually the guy that maybe brings two suits and a couple different ties and maybe a couple of different shirts. Maybe it looks a little different," Strome said. "We can go back and forth each game on the road trip. I think when I'm deciding, it's just whatever I'm feeling that day, depending on how the game went before. If we lost, I'll switch it up completely: tie, everything. If we win, I'm usually wearing the same suit unless it got dirty."
Jensen said that he also tries to keep it simple for road trips, but added that pocket squares are convenient and easy accessories that can add a lot to the suit without taking up too much space in the suitcase.
While the likes of Jensen and Strome are more "fashion-forward," other players are a bit more lax. One example is Sonny Milano, who is described as having a "bolder" and more "unique" approach to his apparel choices but is lower maintenance when it comes to picking an outfit.
"I just wake up," Milano laughed. "It's really not something that's on your mind too much. More important things going on that day. I don't know. I just wake up and go to my closet, whatever I'm looking at and whatever pops out."
Wilson also doesn't try to overthink it.
"I just kind of go into the closet and try and kind of pick one before the game. I have a few from over the years that have kind of piles up, get some good selection and you just try and pick whatever you're feeling that day," Wilson explained.
T.J. Oshie, who picked the Letterman jackets for the Capitals' Stadium Series pregame outfit, and other players have the same approach, citing that they're not the most fashion-forward players on the team. John Carlson, who is the same way, said that it's just a matter of different personalities.
"Everybody's always been different, you know? Everyone has their own thing. Some people care, some people don't," Carlson grinned. "Some people like skateboarding, some like video games. Just everybody is always different. But I think people make a bigger deal about it now. It actually probably makes people try harder."
There are also a handful of players trying to continue building on their style. Charlie Lindgren's technique from time to time is putting two items together and hoping it passes.
"I'm not a big 'suit guy' myself. I'm not a guy that's really high-fashion, clean-cut. I got like four or five suits, few different shirts," he explained. "Every time I go in that closet, I have no idea what matches or what looks good. I'm just hoping and praying no one makes fun of me when I go to the rink."
Beck Malenstyn is also hoping to take his style to the next level.
"Guys are starting to get a little more creative with it, and I think it's great guys can have fun with that side of it... I got some work, I think. I have a couple of suits that I could put together that could maybe get me up in the top-10. There's other ones that I probably need to hit the rack and find some new ones," Malenstyn added, noting that "Maybe every once in a while I'll get checks (from my wife) and sent back in to switch something out."
At the end of the day, Jensen said it's just part of the job, and that his teammates — whether they claim to be fashion-forward or not — know how to look the part.
"We have a lot of guys on the team that, you know, when they want to, they can look pretty good," he smiled. "I think even if you made it optional, guys would still come in suits... it's definitely part of the culture."