Could we see advertisements on New York Ranger jerseys?

Recently, the New York Rangers and the NHL released their new reverse retro jerseys. What might be missing from that jersey is some kind of ad patch placement, an idea that is being kicked around in some circles for the upcoming season.

Although the NHL has said nothing publically, the league is looking for ways to increase revenue from a season that is sure to be without fans in the stands for at least most of the season. At this hour, insiders are saying that the NHLPA has really stuck to its guns and has not agreed to anything beyond the terms already negotiated four or five months ago with the MOU (memorandum of understanding) and the CBA extension. That could change, but at this point they are very much in their resolve in believing that the NHL should honor those terms.

If this holds true, the NHL will need to look at ways to increase revenue, and ad patches on jerseys are just one of the many ideas that are circulating.

The NBA had recently done this, in a way that does not offend fans who worry that their team’s favorite jerseys will end up looking like a NASCAR driver’s gear, something that is done in other leagues around the world.

The NHL is not the only league that may be looking to do this in 2021.

Traditionalists cringe at the thought of any kind of advertisement on a jersey or helmet. The NHL has been reluctant to go this route.

“It’s not an active discussion among NHL clubs,” commissioner Gary Bettman said about jersey ads in 2017. “I always said we wouldn’t be first. OK, great. The NBA is doing it. But it would take an unusual circumstance – which I would define as a lot of money that I’m having trouble comprehending right now’ – for us to even be thinking about it.”

However, things are different in 2020 than they were in 2017.

One of the major proponents of this idea is Sportsnet hockey insider Elliot Friedman.

“If you look at the NBA there’s a small little logo near the top of the jersey and you can see it, but it’s not all over the place. It’s enough you know it’s there,” Friedman said.

“If I’m a player I’m saying ‘Yeah I understand, but it’s time.’ No more of this ‘it’s tradition, we don’t want to touch these jerseys.’ If the Boston Celtics can have it, and the New York Knicks can have it…

“If I’m a player I’m simply saying it’s time. If you want us to agree to give back money you have to agree to maximize revenues.”

It will also be important to know that if the NHL follows the NBA, jerseys purchased at retail outlets will generally not have the advertisement logo on them.

Last summer, Ken Rosenthal best summed up the idea of putting ads on MLB jerseys that would probably mirror what some New York Ranger and NHL fans are feeling: “Traditionalists would hate it, but the pandemic has created exceptional financial circumstances and such ads would be an easy way to make money.”