adidas has "won a long-term deal to make uniforms for the 30 NHL teams" beginning in the '17-18 season, taking over from its subsidiary Reebok brand, according to Rick Westhead of TSN.ca. Sources said that adidas "beat out rivals Under Armour and Bauer Hockey." A source said that the NHL’s current deal with Reebok "pays the league" about $35M per season. Another source said that the agreement will "be formally announced in mid-September." Westhead reported it is "unclear whether the NHL will receive a cut of revenue from jersey sales or if it's a straight rights-fee arrangement." A source said that the deal would "surely mean big changes to uniform designs, perhaps with Adidas’s familiar three-stripe trademark being added to some or all team jerseys." Westhead noted adidas could also "produce jerseys for the eight teams" in next year's World Cup of Hockey. Sources said that moving to a new supplier "may be a natural transition for the NHL to begin introducing on-jersey advertising." adidas has already been "quietly preparing for the new hockey contract," filming a commercial this summer with rookie Oilers C Connor McDavid. adidas also "hopes to feature" Penguins C Sidney Crosby in its marketing. Crosby "has an endorsement agreement with Reebok that expires at the end of August and his agents have been negotiating" with adidas. In March, adidas announced that it was "quitting its partnership" with the NBA after 11 years. The company at the time said that it would instead "emphasize new products and sponsor individual players" (TSN.ca, 8/17).
TURN AND FACE THE STRANGE: CBSSPORTS.com's Chris Peters wrote while adidas is "not traditionally known as a hockey company," it has "been in the hockey business before." The company has "been the official brand of several major NCAA programs," including Notre Dame, Wisconsin and Michigan. In those cases, the company "didn't really materially change the jerseys," a fact that is "probably somewhat comforting to NHL fans, but not necessarily what should be expected for the NHL agreement" (CBSSPORTS.com, 8/17). SI.com's Allan Muir asked of jersey ads, "How far would the league be willing to go?" Nobody "wants to see the Canadian Tire logo replace" the Maple Leafs' crest, "or a Dunkin’ Donuts emblem in place of the Bruins’ spoked B." But sponsors "might be allowed to purchases shoulder patches, or perhaps a nice piece of real estate to the right of the team logos on the front of jerseys." That "might be as far as things would go initially, but it’s only a matter of time before there would be specially sponsored third jerseys, or heavily logoed goalie sweaters." After that, a "full-on Euro-style kit, with the corporate logo front and center, would be just a matter of time." Fans "could see something like that as soon as next summer's World Cup of Hockey" (SI.com, 8/17).
