Black History Spotlight: Washington Capitals

The Washington Capitals revealed their Black History Month special jersey on Monday, designed by D.C. local artist J. Freeman Robinson. The jersey pays homage to the 11 members of the Washington Capitals hockey club who were also part of the Black community. Though their numbers may be small, the Black hockey community has played a large role in the history of the Washington Capitals, and we are going to dive into the legacy of each of the organization’s Black members.

Mike Marson (1974-1979)

In their inaugural season in the National Hockey League, the Capitals drafted 19-year-old Mike Marson 19th overall. Marson was just the second Black player in league history, following Willie O’Ree, who had retired in 1961. The forward scored 16 goals in his rookie season but unfortunately did not continue his six-year career as successfully as his rookie season. Mike Marson opened a hockey training school in Toronto, with a focus on using martial arts to help train young players.

Bill Riley (1974-1979)

Bill Riley joined Mike Marson on the Capitals in 1974, making Washington the first NHL team to have two Black players on the ice at once. He took a season away from the Capitals to play with the IHL’s Dayton Gems, coached by legend Tom McVie. McVie brought Bill Riley with him to D.C. during the 1976-1977 season, where Riley scored 13 goals in 43 games. He scored 13 goals in 57 games the following season and ended his NHL career with the Winnipeg Jets in 1980. He continued playing in the AHL and was a teammate of former Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau. After retirement, Bill Riley went on to coach and manage junior hockey in Nova Scotia.

Reggie Savage (1991-1993)

Reggie Savage was drafted by the Capitals in the first round (15th overall) of the 1988 draft after scoring 68 goals in 68 games with the QMJHL’s Victoriaville Tigres. Savage began his pro career in 1990 with the Baltimore Skipjacks of the AHL and made his NHL debut in 1991 against Vancouver. His first NHL goal came on November 18th, 1992, on a penalty shot against the Minnesota North Stars. He finished out his NHL career with the Quebec Nordiques in 1994, but continued to play in various other leagues until the age of 35. He passed away in 2023 after a battle with cancer.

Anson Carter (1996-1997; 2003-2004)

Anson Carter was traded to the Washington Capitals from the Colorado Avalanche in 1996. He made his debut with the hockey club in the season opener against Chicago but was sent down to the AHL Portland Pirates, where he tallied 38 points in 27 games. Anson Carter played for a handful of other teams after the 1996 season including the Bruins, Canucks, Oilers, Rangers, Kings, Blue Jackets, and Hurricanes. He totaled 421 points in 674 games and later made a two-month return to the Capitals in the 2003-2004 season. After leaving the ice, he founded a record label, Big Up Entertainment, and is frequently seen as an analyst for MSG Network and NHL on TNT.

Jason Doig (2002-2004)

Defenseman Jason Doig did not have a smooth path to the Washington Capitals by any stretch of the imagination. After a successful start with the Winnipeg Jets, Doig was diagnosed with dysrhythmia, a heart condition, and was sent to the AHL for conditioning. He did not make the Canadian National Junior Team and was traded to Granby, where he won the Memorial Cup in 1996. Due to his health, he had seven straight seasons without playing more than 55 games and played in multiple cities in six of those seven. The Capitals ended up signing him as a free agent, where he played with both the AHL Portland Pirates and the Capitals– 110 games to be exact.

Mike Grier (2002-2004)

Mike Grier comes from a football family– his dad, Bobby, was a coach and executive in the NFL and his brother, Chris, is the GM of the Miami Dolphins. However, Mike chose the ice over the gridiron and became a notorious two-way winger. By the time the Washington Capitals acquired Grier from the Edmonton Oilers, he had been in the league for six seasons. In his 1,060 games in the NHL, he tallied 383 points. After retiring in 2011, Mike Grier went down the coaching path with the U.S. Women’s National Team. He also served as a scout with the Chicago Blackhawks, an assistant coach with the Devils, and as part of the Hockey Operations team of the New York Rangers. In 2022, Grier was hired by the San Jose Sharks as their GM, making him the first Black GM in the league.

Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre

Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre made Washington the final stop of his NHL career after being claimed off waivers by the hockey club. A defenseman, he was not a high-scorer, finishing his NHL career with just 20 points in 269 games. He went on to play professionally through the 2012-2013 season with the Swedish, German, and Swiss pro leagues and the AHL’s Lowell Devils. He currently covers the Columbus Blue Jackets as an analyst for Bally Sports Ohio.

Donald Brashear (2007-2009)

Prior to joining the Washington Capitals on the ice, Donald Brashear played in the QMJHL and AHL, finally making his NHL debut with the Montreal Canadiens in 1993. He spent four years with the team before being traded to Vancouver, where he played for five seasons. He was signed to the Capitals as a free agent in 2006 and served as an alternate captain during his three years with the team. Brashear played his 1000th NHL game with the New York Rangers and finished his career with short stints in the AHL, Swedish League, and Quebec senior hockey.

Joel Ward (2011-2015)

After four undrafted seasons in the OHL and a collegiate career at the University of Prince Edward Island, it did not seem that professional hockey was in the cards for Joel Ward. However, after the 2004-2005 lockout, Ward signed on with the Houston Aeros at age 25. He was signed first with the Minnesota Wild in 2006 and later played for the Nashville Predators, helping them to their first-ever playoff series win with 13 points in 12 games. He signed with Washington as a free agent in 2011 and, after a slow start, became a fan favorite and D.C. legend by scoring the series-winning goal of Game 7 in the first round of playoffs, overtaking the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Boston Bruins. He played with the Capitals for three more seasons before finishing his career with the San Jose Sharks. After his retirement in 2020, Joel Ward formed the Hockey Diversity Alliance and currently serves as assistant coach for the Vegas Golden Knights.

Madison Bowey (2017-2019)

Madison Bowey was drafted by the Capitals in his second season with the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets and began playing with the team’s AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears, in 2015. He helped Hershey to the Calder Cup Finals in his rookie season. His debut season with Washington came in 2017, when he played 51 games with the team but did not appear in playoffs during the team’s Stanley Cup run of 2018. He logged 84 games with the Capitals before being traded to Detroit for current Capitals defenseman Nick Jensen. He played with Chicago, Vancouver, and Montreal and currently plays in the KHL.

Devante Smith-Pelly

Devante Smith-Pelly played for a handful of other teams before joining the boys in red. He made his NHL debut in 2011 with the Anaheim Ducks, where he spent 4 seasons before splitting the 2015-2016 season between Montreal and New Jersey. He signed a deal with the Capitals in 2017-2018, mainly playing on the team’s fourth line. Smith-Pelly began to really shine in that season’s playoff run, where he scored 7 goals in his 24 postseason games, helping lead the team to their Stanley Cup Victory. He continued to play in both the AHL and KHL until 2022 and officially announced his retirement in 2022. Earlier this season, he joined the Washington Capitals Radio Network as a color commentator during their West Coast road trip.

From trailblazers like Mike Marson to modern-day stars like Devante Smith-Pelly, these Black players have each left a legacy on both the Washington Capitals and the hockey community at large. Their journeys and contributions will continue to make an impact both on and off the ice, and we celebrate their talents and achievements during Black History Month and beyond. We should also recognize the ongoing need for diversity, inclusion, and equity in hockey and should work to honor the past and amplify diverse voices within the sport. Hockey truly is for everyone, and it should remain that way for generations to come.