Today it was first reported by Rick Westhead of TSN that the NHL reached an agreement with Adidas to become the new jersey provider for the league, beating out both Bauer and Under Armour for the rights.
At first glance the info is intriguing as the NHL is always looking for new inroads into the general consciousness. Taking a deeper look at this you will find that Adidas is the parent company to Reebok, the current (soon to be former) provider of jerseys to the NHL.
Adidas would seem to bring deeper pockets and a willingness to spend which may have justified the change. Prior to this, Adidas sponsorship deals have been wide ranging. Most notably they have been involved with FIFA on many levels and individual basketball players in the NBA.
The NHL deal starts when Adidas’ deal with the NBA ends, which was reported as being one billion dollars over eight years.
This could all be as simple as brand recognition, as the NHL is making a push in multiple arenas to become more visible to the public and reach more potential fans. Adidas is instantly recognizable and falls in line with other agreements the NHL has made within the past few months. This will only bring more money to the league thus making the owners happy and with possible changes to the jerseys we may find more money added to their bottomline.
Will sponsors on jerseys be next? After all, money is what it is all about, right?