The Top Affiliation In Hockey

If there's one AHL team who does most things right, that team would be the Hershey Bears. We can talk about the numerous Calder Cups they won in their history, but the Bears have always been about helping players ascend to the NHL while making them feel like they're already in "The Show" when playing in Pennsylvania. The Boston Bruins have actually been affiliated with the Bears for the most years, but their current affiliation with the Washington Capitals will hit twenty seasons this year. That's a very long time to be affiliated in today's hockey world, and the Bears are going to honour that affiliation with a jersey that checks all the boxes.

Normally, we see minor-league teams wearing jerseys inspired by their NHL affiliates when paying respects to them, but the Bears may have taken that idea to a whole new level. If you recall, the Capitals wore their "screaming eagle" jerseys from 1995 through 2007 before reviving them as Reverse Retro jerseys in both 2021 and 2022-23 before introducing the black version as an alternate jersey last season. That inspired the Bears to pay tribute in the same fashion!

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the "screaming bear" era of the Hershey Bears! Honestly, this is an awesome jersey tribute that recognizes both the NHL team and the humour of the screaming eagle jersey. Make no mistake that the screaming eagle was not everyone's favorite look, so fashioning the screaming bear jersey is pure genius!

As per the Bears' release, the team "unveiled a new specialty 'Screaming Bear' logo and jersey to commemorate the 20th anniversary of their affiliation with the Washington Capitals. The new logo is a tribute to the Capitals' classic "Screaming Eagle" design, which was worn by the NHL team when the partnership with Hershey began in the 2005-06 season". Briefly, the Bears went all-in on this!

The Bears announced that they'll wear the jersey at least four times this season on promotional nights. Those dates are:

• November 16: Kickoff Affiliation Celebration vs. Lehigh Valley
• December 12: Bobblehead Giveaway vs. Providence
• January 3: Psecu Knit Hat Giveaway vs. Rockford
• March 15: Rally Towel Giveaway vs. Belleville

The team will also have a post-game jersey auction for these screaming bear jerseys after the March 15 game, so save your sheckels if you want to own one of these amazing jerseys. I imagine they won't be cheap! If there's an online auction, I may have to jump into that just because of how awesome these jerseys are!

I often talk about how minor-league jerseys get a little wiggle room to have some fun when it comes to professional hockey. This is that wiggle room as the Hershey Bears stepped up their game and came up with an awesome jersey. For once, we see a team having a little fun, and I'm hoping we see more teams following Hershey's lead!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!