The NHL has made its decision on the next jersey supplier for the league.
It was reported last summer that Adidas, the current official uniform provider for the NHL, would not renew its contract when it expired at the conclusion of the 2023-24 season, leaving the door open for another company to step in.
A number of sports manufacturing companies were speculated as potential suitors for the opening, such as CCM, which creates the jerseys for the AHL and all three Canadian major junior leagues, as well as Nike, which provided the hockey jerseys at the 2022 Winter Olympics.
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The Sporting News has fans covered on the details of the league's next jersey supplier.
Who is the NHL's next jersey supplier?
The NHL announced on March 21 that Fanatics would be replacing Adidas as its official uniform partner starting in 2024-25.
Fanatics 🤝 @NHL! Announcing the newest addition to our partnership, we are thrilled to become the League’s authentic outfitter of on-ice uniforms starting with the 2024-2025 season! pic.twitter.com/rd82vJFLur
— Fanatics (@Fanatics) March 21, 2023
"This expansion of our partnership with Fanatics is a reflection of our shared commitment to innovation, performance, and serving our players and fans," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. "Fanatics is a sports industry market leader and with its proven track-record in e-commerce and retail operations, licensed fan merchandise and performance gear, our players and fans should look forward to what Fanatics will bring to the best uniforms in all of sports."
The deal is set for 10 years, keeping the Fanatics and NHL relationship tied through the 2033-34. The NHL indicated that the first significant changes to its on-ice jerseys could potentially come in the 2026-27 season.
Why did the NHL choose Fanatics as its next jersey supplier?
The NHL and Fanatics have had a relationship for over two decades now. The company is the official manufacturer of NHL apparel, including replica uniforms and training apparel.
The initial reactions on social media were not positive when the league made the announcement that Fanatics would be taking over the NHL jerseys. The company has never had its branding on an official player uniform before.
However, it's something that the league expected, and believes that over time, fans will come around to the idea of uniforms provided by Fanatics.
"It's fair. I understand there may be, initially, some trepidation, but I do have a lot of confidence in the team at Fanatics," Brian Jennings, NHL executive vice president of marketing, said. "I look back at the history with our locker room, at what they're doing with other leagues, and I do think that they will be able to do this."
What jerseys do Fanatics currently make?
Just because the Fanatics logo hasn't been on an official jersey does not mean the company hasn't made them before.
Fanatics is responsible for the creation of close to 100,000 MLB jerseys each season, as it has made Nike-branded uniforms for the baseball league since 2017. It also has made authentic NFL jerseys that are created with the Nike logo on it.
"The Fanatics brand is fairly well known to fans, but we're often thought of as more of an e-commerce company," Doug Mack, CEO of Fanatics Commerce, said. "This isn't the first time we've done performance product, but this will be the most visible we've ever been in making that performance product."
Of course, the company has been making replica NHL jerseys for years. Now, it's going to be creating official ones.