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Ads on NHL jerseys coming in 2022-23

First ads showed up on helmets and practice jerseys, and now they’re going to be on NHL sweaters soon enough

By Hooks Orpik
NHL: JUN 28 Pittsburgh Penguins Development Camp Photo by Shelley Lipton/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

In news to be met with a groan at best by fans, or risk temporarily outraging them until they move onto some other topic, the look of NHL players is about to change.

As seen in our picture header above with Samuel Poulin from a development camp in summer 2019, NHL teams have been putting ads on their practice jerseys for quite some time.

Last season, for 2020-21, another step forward was taken with a sponsor on the sides of the helmets. These blended in pretty well on the Penguins’ black and yellow helmets, but for some reason the PPG used their typical blue color scheme for the white away helmet in a pretty ugly clash of colors.

Looks like it at least fits in...

New York Islanders v Pittsburgh Penguins
Philadelphia Flyers v Pittsburgh Penguins Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images

Wut?

Pittsburgh Penguins v New York Rangers Photo by Carly Boyle/NHLI via Getty Images

Overall, ads on jerseys have become an inevitable next step of sponsorship, considering the team sells the naming rights to the stadium gates, the boards, on the scoreboard, for the beer stands and the party area, going to jerseys was always going to creep in. Especially after the move by the NBA, as usual the NHL follows a step or two behind most business decisions.

Given that almost all NHL teams reached agreements to place their building sponsor on their helmets, if that same mindset holds it would probably be an existing Penguin sponsor (PPG Paints, UPMC, 84 Lumber, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Rivers Casino, FedEx, PNC, Peoples, FNB, Highmark) that will be on the jersey.

Here’s another look from practices on what the jerseys could look like in action, the Pens had UPMC on their helmets and jerseys while practicing out of the UPMC sponsored practice arena (via penguins).

Ideally, the color scheme will at least match the team colors in the future, but all those details remain to be seen for what won’t be implemented for 14 months anyways.

This should make a fun poll to see results on:

Poll

When it comes to NHL ads on jerseys, which category do you best fit in?

This poll is closed

  • 10%
    I’m cool with it, anything for more league revenue
    (67 votes)
  • 16%
    I don’t really care, it won’t effect me at all, with or without ads
    (103 votes)
  • 19%
    It is a minor annoyance to me, don’t like it but what can ya do?
    (124 votes)
  • 12%
    I don’t like the idea, but maybe it fades into normalcy after a while
    (77 votes)
  • 35%
    I really don’t like it, and probably never will
    (221 votes)
  • 6%
    I really dislike it to the point where this will impact how much I watch NHL hockey
    (39 votes)
631 votes total Vote Now

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