Ottawa Black Bears Unveil Inaugural Season Jerseys

The Ottawa Black Bears have unveiled their home and away jerseys and kits ahead of their NLL debut in late 2024. To support the unveiling of their uniform, the Black Bears hosted an open house where fans had the opportunity to meet and hear from Black Bears general manager Rich Lisk, head coach Dan Ladouceur and players Larson Sundown and Nathan Grenon. Jerseys are now available to pre-order on Ottawa Team Shop.

“This is a momentous day not just for our organization, but for the Ottawa-Gatineau region,” said Lisk. “With the introduction of our home and away jersey, it now gives not just our team, but our fans something tangible for the upcoming season. We’re grateful for the support and can’t wait to take the floor on opening night.”

The jersey utilizes Ottawa’s colours of red, black, gold and white, cementing the Black Bears as a member of the Ottawa-Gatineau athletic community. The logo at the centre of the jersey features a black bear that not only reflects the attributes of the region but also the values of both the community and franchise including pride, passion and grit. The secondary logo located on the shoulders is a black bear’s paw print with a maple leaf cutout. The design demonstrates the connection between lacrosse and its Indigenous heritage.

Along the base of the jersey and on the sleeves is an Indigenous design shared by Sundown, who is a member of the Tonawanda Seneca community. The design features figures standing together hand in hand, a motif that represents peace, friendship and unison in Indigenous culture. “As an Indigenous lacrosse player, I have always wanted to see more symbolism from the Indigenous culture present in today’s game,” said Sundown. “I am so thankful to be a part of the jersey design process, it really hits home knowing I am a part of an organization wanting to represent and support Indigenous communities.”

“I want to recognize the efforts of one of players, Larson Sundown, who played an integral role in the design of the jersey” said Lisk. “As an organization we wanted to pay tribute to the Creator’s Game. We worked hand in hand with Larson and he added valuable insight, design and education. We couldn’t be prouder of the design and jersey as a whole. I think it encompasses the rich history of the Medicine Game and the Ottawa-Gatineau region. On behalf our whole organization I want to thank Larson for helping us build this foundation.”

A forthcoming partnership between the Black Bears, Sundown and a charitable organization was also previewed at Thursday’s open house. The details of this partnership will be announced next week.

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