Fanatics to replace Adidas as NHL’s official uniform supplier originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Adidas will be the National Hockey League’s official jersey supplier for one more season before giving way to Fanatics, which reached a historic, 10-year deal with the NHL on Tuesday.
Fanatics, which has more than 90 million customers worldwide and has run the NHL’s e-commerce site for fans, has never had its branding appear on official player uniforms in professional sports.
That will change in a big way during the 2024-25 NHL season, when Fanatics will have its brand stitched across every sweater.
“This is a seminal moment in the history of Fanatics, and a testament to the hands-on, collaborative relationship with the NHL that we’ve built over the years,” Fanatics founder and CEO Michael Rubin said in a statement.
For the past five years, Fanatics and the NHL have partnered on player performance and training apparel. The league has also supplied its players and coaches with Fanatics-designed hats and helmets.
Sweaters were the last frontier and, with the Adidas deal expiring, it seems that the two sides are more close now than ever before. The terms of the 10-year marketing deal were not immediately available on Tuesday.
“Fanatics is a sports industry market leader and with its proven track-record in e-commerce and retail operations … our players and fans should look forward to what Fanatics will bring to the best uniforms in all of sports,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement.
Adidas announced in July 2022 that it would not be renewing its seven-year contract with the NHL, which opened up the bidding opportunity for Fanatics.
Prior to Adidas, the NHL had its sweaters made and designed by Reebok. Adidas took over hockey jersey designs for the 2017-18 NHL season with a reported $70 million annual contract.
Fanatics said Tuesday it will manufacture the new NHL uniforms in Canada at the same factory that has been making apparel for the last three decades.
To prepare for the 2024-25 NHL season rollout, the company said it will build teams and expand resources to immediately work with all 32 clubs, equipment managers and players.
“Everything we do as a company pushes the boundaries to create more highly engaged experiences and revolutionary products for fans, athletes, and partners, and I can’t wait to see our brand on official on-ice uniforms for the first time,” Rubin said.
