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March 21, 2023: The National Hockey League (NHL) announced on Tuesday that it has signed a 10-year deal with Fanatics, making the company the official uniform supplier for the league, starting with the 2024-2025 season. This marks the first time that Fanatics branding will appear on official player uniforms in professional sports. The terms of the deal have not been disclosed.
Fanatics has been running the NHL’s e-commerce site with over 90 million customers worldwide and producing the league’s performance and training apparel since 2018. In addition, the company has established relationships with over 80 current and former hockey stars through its memorabilia and collectibles division.
The deal comes after Adidas announced it would not be renewing its seven-year contract as the NHL’s official uniform supplier, which it took over from Reebok beginning with the 2017-2018 season. The deal was estimated to be worth $70 million annually, according to ESPN.
Fanatics said it will manufacture the new NHL uniforms in Canada at the same factory that has been making the NHL’s on-ice uniforms for the last three decades. The company will also build teams and expand resources in preparation for the rollout over the next 18 months.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman praised Fanatics as a “sports industry market leader” and said that “our players and fans should look forward to what Fanatics will bring to the best uniforms in all of sports”.
Fanatics founder and CEO Michael Rubin called the deal a “seminal moment” in the company’s history and a testament to its “hands-on, collaborative relationship” with the NHL. He added that Fanatics’ mission is to “create more highly engaged experiences and revolutionary products for fans, athletes, and partners”.