Neighbours launches new hat line with STL Authentics

Line includes five designs; two will feature American Sign Language with proceeds benefitting DEAF, Inc.

By Chris Pinkert, St. Louis Blues, January 16, 2025

Jake Neighbours is launching a new line of hats that will be available exclusively at STL Authentics and STLAuthentics.com beginning Thursday.

Neighbours sat down with designers from CAPX last September to design five Blues-themed hats, which come in various colors and feature different team logos. Fans can expect to see the standard Blue Note, the secondary trumpet logo from the mid-90s and more.

But then there’s something completely unique - one hat that features the word “BLUES” spelled out in American Sign Language, and another that has Neighbours' 63 in sign language on the side.

Knowing sign language is an important skill for Neighbours, who learned it as a kid because one of his best friends from childhood — Ozzy Wiesblatt — has a mother who is deaf.

Neighbours designs new hat line with CAPX.

“I grew up playing hockey against (Ozzy) and we ended up playing together for the midget AAA Buffalos in Calgary when we were 15,” Neighbours told stlouisblues.com. “We grew up very close, and obviously going over to his house I learned that his mother was deaf and I just wanted to be able to communicate with her, be able to show that I care and wanted to learn it,” Neighbours told stlouisblues.com. “On bus rides (to our games), I would sit with Ozzy and he would teach me sign language.”

A portion of the proceeds from those two hats will benefit DEAF, Inc., a community-based nonprofit organization in St. Louis that serves those who are deaf and/or hard of hearing.

Wiesblatt, now a prospect with the Nashville Predators, was called up earlier this season and made his NHL debut on Jan. 3.

“I think just with the platform that I have now, and the position I’m in, to be able to raise awareness not only for the Wiesblatt family and all they’ve done for me and how special of a family they are, but just for the entire community,” Neighbours added. "Everybody who is deaf or even partially deaf, I think ASL is a big community and I think to be able to raise awareness for it and bring some attention to it is obviously very important. I’m just honored and humbled to be able to have that platform that I can do that.”

Regarding the entire hat line, Neighbours says he’s just excited for fans to get their hands on them and hopes they enjoy wearing them as much as he enjoyed making them.

“The design process was fun. I tried to make them unique and something we hadn’t really seen anything like before,” he said. “And I tried to make them comfy and wearable in any situation. I enjoy them a lot, I like them and hopefully the fans think the same.”