The NHL board of governors unanimously approved adding advertisement patches to jerseys for the 2022-23 season.
Teams are now able to begin negotiating with potential partners, who could soon see their brand’s names on NHL jerseys. The ads have to fit in a 3 inch by 3.5 inch rectangle, according to ESPN. The location of the ads will be up to the team allowing the advertising, ESPN reported.
The National Hockey League is far from the first professional sports league to use jerseys as a way to advertise. The NBA was the first of the four major men’s American sports to ad advertisements to their jerseys, with the WNBA and MLS teams also putting logos on their jerseys. However, the NHL’s patches will be slightly larger than the NBA’s.
The NHL has taken advantage of uniforms to advertise in the past, just not on jerseys — until now.
Last season, they allowed teams to sell a small advertising space on helmets, a policy that has been extended to next season as well. And it’s no wonder why, as NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said teams received over $100 million from helmet ads.
With that kind of money in it, expect many teams to put ads on their jerseys this coming season now that it is allowed.
