The NHL - Fashion's Latest Sports Opportunity
The league that's least known for style could be the fashion industry's next target for sports marketing.
When you think about the intersection of fashion and sports, football and basketball normally come to mind. The NFL, NBA and WNBA have all inked multi-million dollar partnerships with tons of brands in both accessible and luxury price points. All three leagues also have a significant number of players who also love to participate in fashion, be it during tunnel walks, fashion shows, or in their personal lives. Professional soccer leagues and players have been doing the same, and F1 is beginning to wade into these waters. While this money will continue to grow, there lies another huge opportunity within sports, and it’s definitely not one any of us expected.
NHL players, are known for a lot of things, but how they dress isn’t one of them. Recent changes to their latest Collective Bargaining Agreement suggest their might be some interest after all. Traditionally players have abided by a strict dress code and wore suits and ties prior to every game and the only ability they’ve had to have fun with this would be around suit colors, tie combinations, and fit. “Under the previous CBA, the NHL was the only North American major men’s pro sports league with a dress code specified through collective bargaining. Exhibit 14, Rule 5 read: ‘Players are required to wear jackets, ties and dress pants to all Club games and while traveling to and from such games unless otherwise specified by the Head Coach or General Manager.’ The only requirement now for players is that they “dress in a manner that is consistent with contemporary fashion norms.””1 This opens up an entire world of possibilities for style to be on full display.
When looking at NHL fandom and its numbers compared to other U.S. professional sports leagues, the numbers are significantly smaller. Only 17% of Americans watch professional hockey compared to 43%, 29%, and 24% for the NFL, MLB, and NBA, respectively, but digging into this data reveals the opportunity. “NHL fans spend over five hours per day (5.6) watching TV/video, on average. This is nearly identical to the overall internet adult population. However, NHL viewers indicated they spend 25% of their average daily viewing hours watching sports.” Furthermore, 45% of NHL fans are 55 or older and 65% have a college degree.2 Older, more educated fans are going to have more spending power. Recent numbers aren’t available but in the 2010s several studies showed that the average income of NHL fans were higher than that of fans of other leagues. Yes this market may be smaller, but given their loyalty to the sport, its certainly not one that should be overlooked.
Some brands are already taking advantage of this in a major way. Last year Fanatics and Lululemon announced their joint partnership to give fans licensed gear for 11 NHL teams. Just a few weeks ago both companies expanded this to cover every team in the league. Other sports apparel brands like Mitchell & Ness have also gotten in on the action. Fashion-forward Todd Snyder released a professional hockey collection, though it was limited to the New York Rangers. All of these partnerships are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of fan gear. Another opportunity lies within naming players as brand ambassadors. Bringing certain players in house as the season continues and they head into the playoffs, the subsequent Stanley Cup Finals, and represent Team USA in the Olympics next year will continue to add credibility that specific brands for sports marketing. Consumer behavior and buying patters would still need to justify these final decisions, but on the surface level, this seems like an easy win.
ESPN; Everything you need to know about the new NHL-NHLPA CBA
S&P Global; State of US NHL fans 2025
Not a place I would ever have that about fashion, very interesting