Sports retail and e-commerce giant Fanatics has made another big move to push beyond fan gear and services and into the actual sports themselves. The company has announced a new 10-year deal to become the official supplier of on-ice uniforms for the National Hockey League, starting with the 2024-25 season.
While Fanatics has been making official Major League Baseball on-field uniforms since 2017 for Nike, this is the first time that Fanatics’ own branding will be directly on the official player uniforms in professional sports.
The NHL has partnered with Fanatics, in a variety of ways, since 2005, in a deal started under founder and CEO Michael Rubin’s first company, GSI Commerce. Since then, that deal has expanded to include extensive apparel and headwear rights, recently added league-wide merchandise rights for Fanatics-owned Mitchell & Ness, as well as operation of on-site retail for NHL events like the All-Star Game and Winter Classic, and in-stadium retail for select teams like the Washington Capitals and New Jersey Devils.
Doug Mack, Fanatics vice chairman and commerce CEO, says this new deal is an example of what can happen when two partners commit to innovating and growing their business over nearly two decades. “Fanatics’ success in working with the NHL to bring an incredible assortment of new, unique products to fans worldwide across all channels has opened the doors to the pinnacle of the licensed apparel category—on-ice player uniforms and authentic jerseys,” he says. “The natural evolution of our relationship is a testament to our relentless pursuit to create the best business model for our partner and overall experience for NHL fans.”
Since 2018, Fanatics has designed and manufactured training apparel that the players, coaches, and equipment and training staff wear, and in 2021 the company opened the NHL’s new flagship retail store in New York City.
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