Behind the Bear: Ottawa’s Uniform Design

The Black Bears uniform design is both fashionable and thought-provoking.

Last winter, the New York Riptide announced plans to relocate from the largest metropolitan area in the United States to the capital of Canada. Fast-forwarding to the current offseason, the franchise has officially transformed into the Ottawa Black Bears, with the club preparing for their first season taking the field at Canadian Tire Centre, which also serves as the home ice of the NHL’s Ottawa Senators.

Last week marked a significant milestone in the franchise’s 472-mile (759 km) sojourn north when the organization debuted its brand new uniform design. General Manager Rich Lisk, Head Coach Dan Ladouceur, along with players Larson Sundown and Nathan Grenon, were on hand for the gathering of 400 people at the Black Bears’ soon-to-be home arena. Sundown’s presence was especially noteworthy as he, Lisk and Vice President of Business Operations Chelsea McDermott served as the driving force behind the squad’s fresh look.

“I worked really hard on that design with Larson Sundown,” explained Lisk. “When I brought Larson into the mix it really took off from there. We wanted to tie into the Ottawa-Gatineau region, but when Larson got involved, we started to incorporate the things we talked about.”

For his part, Sundown was both honored and enthusiastic when it came to his inclusion in the process, particularly regarding Lisk’s desire to integrate Sundown’s Indigenous heritage into the design.

Black Bears forward @Larson_Sundown of the Tonawanda Seneca Nation was a big part of the team’s jersey design process.

Sundown recommended an indigenous “People’s Motif,” which represents peace, friendship, and unison. Standing together for the greater good. pic.twitter.com/Da5o7elEyu

— Ottawa Black Bears (@ottblackbears) July 31, 2024

“I was really excited. Any player loves to be a part of the creative design process. It’s a cool part of being on a team. When they mentioned wanting to bring in Indigenous aspects to the jersey I thought it was a great idea. I was happy to help in any way,” Sundown said. “I love that my organization wanted to pay homage to the creators of the game. That’s something that every Indigenous community wants to see. We are the creators of this game and we gave it to share with everyone. We want to see it played and represented in the right way.”

The uniform features a black, red, gold and white color scheme as an ode to the city of Ottawa. The CFL’s Redblacks, OHL’s 67’s, NHL’s Senators, CEBL’s Blackjacks and PWHL Ottawa also don the three colors this city identifies with and bring about the spirit and pride of the community. The logo showcases a black bear holding a lacrosse stick, with a black bear paw print and accompanying Maple Leaf pattern present on both shoulders.

Perhaps the most unique and thought-provoking aspect of the jersey involves the visual of men holding hands with one another, on the sleeves and very bottom portion of the jersey. Sundown, a proud member of the Tonawanda Seneca people, chose to invoke this symbol to demonstrate the coming together of the Indigenous and non-Indigenous lacrosse communities that make up his team’s new geographical region.

Upon the final design coming together, Lisk felt a strong sense of validation when looking back at his initial decision to involve Sundown in this monumental moment for his newly branded lacrosse club.

“When Larson got involved, he involved his family, and the elders, and was perfect for it,” explained Lisk.

“Larson really cares and he put a lot of thought and time behind it. He put a lot of passion and pride behind it. He had reasonings why he came up with the things he put on the jersey and gave back to the Creator’s game. I wanted an expert to help us out.”

While the man who oversees the Black Bears’ lacrosse operations was glowing with both satisfaction and possibility, the player who contributed so much of himself to the project was filled with a unique array of deeply held emotions.

“It was a huge sigh of relief,” Sundown said. “I wanted to make the jersey something that fans were excited to wear and support. I was so happy with the design of both the jerseys and helmets. It includes both of the rich lacrosse communities that make up Ottawa.”

Sundown’s incredible contribution to the Ottawa Black Bears jersey design process isn’t the end of it. To honor his generosity, the team announced that $5 from every jersey purchased will be donated to a charity of Larson’s choice. Larson chose Dave Smith Youth, an organization dedicated to supporting youth aged 13-21 in Ontario struggling with addiction and mental health issues since 1993.

We wanted to thank @Larson_Sundown for his impact on the Ottawa Black Bears jersey design process.

$5 from every jersey purchased will go to a charity of Larson’s choice. He chose @DaveSmithYouth.

This is his story. pic.twitter.com/aRXK8CZi0D

— Ottawa Black Bears (@ottblackbears) August 2, 2024

Sundown and his Ottawa teammates will officially adorn the newly minted Black Bears attire when the team convenes for training camp in November.