The 2023-24 NHL season marks the second year that teams can sell jersey patch sponsorships on game jerseys. Helmet sponsorships have also gained significant traction in the NHL, with more teams and players embracing the opportunity to showcase corporate logos on their headgear. These assets not only enhance brand visibility for sponsors but they also provide an additional revenue stream for teams.
Within the NHL there are a broad spectrum of brands, ranging from prominent global entities in finance and healthcare to localized and regional businesses that resonate with the distinct personalities, missions, and values of each team.
NHL teams and fans are more open to the idea of jersey sponsors as other major sports leagues in North America such as the MLS, MLB, and NBA have been adopting jersey sponsorships.
Last year, 11 of the 32 NHL teams had jersey patch partnerships at the start of the season. To start the 2023-24 NHL season, 17 teams have jersey partnerships.
The top jersey sponsor industries (at the time of this blog) are financial (four brands), followed by healthcare (three brands), betting/gambling (three brands), automotive aftermarket (two brands), and insurance (two brands). The rest of the teams have a range of sponsors, from cyber security, food, and a non-profit jersey patch.
To give you a look at how teams showcase their jersey sponsors, we put together a Blinkfire playlist of posts featuring team’s jersey and listed out each team with their jersey sponsor below.
Philadelphia Flyers – IBX
Nashville Predators – Regions Bank
Vegas Golden Knights – Circa Sports
LA Kings – Mercury Insurance
Arizona Coyotes – Gila River Resorts & Casinos
Boston Bruins – Rapid7
Columbus Blue Jackets – Safelite
Florida Panthers – Autonation
Minnesota Wild – TRIA
Montreal Canadians – RBC
Pittsburgh Penguins – Highmark
St. Louis Blues – Stifel
Toronto Maple Leafs – Dairy Farmers of Ontario nhl jersey evolution
Vancouver Canucks – TD Bank
Washington Capitals – Caesar’s Sportsbook
Winnipeg Jets – Canada Life
Seattle Kraken – Muckleshoot Indian Tribe
Helmets have been a hot sponsorship asset that most teams across the NHL sell. Much like hockey jersey patches, this asset is seen when cameras zoom in on players throughout games. Of the 32 teams in the NHL, 27 teams have home game helmet sponsors.
The top home helmet sponsor industries (at the time of this blog) were financial (seven brands), followed by healthcare (four brands), software (two), automotive aftermarket (two brands), non-profit (two brands), Energy (two brands), telecom (two brands). The rest of the teams have a wide range of sponsors, from retail, food delivery, and construction.
Some teams have sold their home and away helmet assets to the same partners, but six teams have successfully sold them separately to different partners. One of the most interesting away helmet sponsorships comes from the New Jersey Devils. The Devils’ Buy Black Program presented by Prudential Financial awarded a black-owned, New Jersey-based business with their team’s away helmet asset along with other branded marketing opportunities throughout the season.
It’s evident that these branding opportunities are an integral component of teams’ revenue models. These partnerships not only reflect the diverse spectrum of industries that wish to align themselves with the NHL but also mirror the evolving dynamics of sponsorship in professional sports, providing both teams and sponsors a unique platform to connect with fans and enhance their presence on the ice. With a growing number of NHL teams embracing jersey and helmet sponsorships, it’s clear that these sponsorship assets offer a win-win scenario for all stakeholders.
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