Fanatics takes on a bigger role in NHL design with Hometown Remix jerseys

At most professional sports arenas, rinks and stadiums around the world, the gear fans wear to games is manufactured and designed by sporting goods giant Fanatics. But that’s not necessarily the case with the jerseys players wear on the field, on the ice, and on the court.

On Monday, Fanatics and the NHL debuted the Hometown Remix program, a collection of uniforms and apparel for all 32 NHL teams. The new design and look of each jersey focuses on each team’s city and fan base. This is the first time Fanatics has designed and developed a league-wide jersey program for one of its league partners, including the NFL, NBA and MLB.

In some leagues, such as the NFL, Fanatics makes jerseys and other consumer products that fans buy in stores and even what coaches wear on the sideline, while what players wear on the field may be manufactured and designed by another company. For the NFL, it’s Nike. In MLB, Fanatics manufactures player jerseys while Nike designs them.

Fanatics has been a partner of the NHL since 2005, primarily focused on retail and e-commerce. However, with the league’s jersey deal with Adidas expiring in 2023, Fanatics expanded its partnership to include on-ice uniforms and authentic jerseys.

When the deal begins to coincide with the 2024-25 season, it marks the first time that Fanatics branding will appear directly on an official player’s jersey at a professional game, marking a major evolution for the company.

Andrew Law Ah Kee, CEO of Fanatics Commerce, the company’s merchandise division, said the new collection is “a major step forward in our partnership with the NHL.”

“What’s interesting to me about this is that not only are all 32 teams participating, but Fanatics is actually solely responsible and accountable for the design and execution of the program in collaboration with the (NHL) and the clubs,” Lou Ah Kee said. “On the other hand, we are working with Nike and other teams in other leagues and different programs.”

Low Ah Kee said the process for this collection began when the NHL’s expansion deal went into effect in 2024, and since then Fanatics’ design team has worked across leagues, teams and players.

The process itself is not entirely new. Fanatics has worked with the NHL and some of its teams to design jerseys for high-profile events such as the Winter Classic, Stadium Series, and Four-Nations. However, not all NHL teams have participated in these events.

But Low-A-Kee said doing it in the NHL, which is “the most complex construction of any sports jersey out there,” while also being able to add new design elements and highlight unique aspects of each team’s fans and local culture, was a big moment for Fanatics.

“I don’t think this is the culmination, but it’s certainly a major milestone in our relationship,” Lou Ah Kee said.

Brian Jennings, NHL senior vice president and chief partnerships and club strategy officer, said the league appreciates the tradition and respect that hockey jerseys (also known as sweaters) give fans of the sport. At the same time, Jennings said the league is excited to create a new design around a league-wide platform that celebrates local team culture.

“Each market and city is unique…we love to celebrate that uniqueness,” Jennings said.

Jennings said each team will wear the jerseys in a series of games remaining this season, providing an opportunity to highlight design and storytelling.

Although this is just set as a program for the 2026-2027 season, Jennings said if a team wants to integrate some of the logo, colors or design on future alternate jerseys or other products, the NHL and Fanatics will be open to it.

This Hometown Remix collection is also the foundation for future league-wide efforts with Fanatics, Jennings said. “In an ideal world, you would immediately start thinking about what the other version would be,” he said. “Once we’ve gleaned the insights of what’s worked, what hasn’t worked, what we want to turn up the volume on, what our differentiators are, we want to keep the integrity of our design very high to please and excite our fans.”

Jennings said moments like these also provide a boost on the business side. Although he didn’t provide specific goals, he pointed to the big changes leagues and teams see when new jerseys and merchandise are released for special event games like the Winter Classic. He also noted that when teams host special theme nights or special jersey games, there is a subsequent impact on things like ticket sales and sponsorship activation. “It creates a lot of excitement for clubs who can market it,” he said.

Lower Kee said Fanatics is “very aware” that the launch of this league-wide program will occur just before the holiday shopping season. At the same time, this jersey collection is in “limited supply,” he said. According to Fanatics, the pricing for these jerseys will differ slightly from some traditional NHL jerseys due to unique manufacturing features.

Hometown Remix jerseys with custom lettering and numbering range from $275 for the premium jersey to $500 for the authentic jersey (same as what players wear on the ice).

Jennings and Lo Ah Kee acknowledged the challenge of unveiling a new design for a popular team jersey: fan reaction can be somewhat unpredictable.

Jennings said he believes “fans will really respect that fact” because there are so many unique design elements, not only on the front of the jersey, but also on the hockey socks the players wear and how certain parts of the jersey are embossed and raised.

“Debates about design will continue, but I think they’ll show that the quality is good,” Jennings said.

When these new jerseys hit the ice on players’ backs, they will also come with Fanatics flag branding. Lo Ah Kee said it was a point of pride for the company and also a sign that Fanatics is “responsible for the quality of the garments, the manufacturing of the garments and the design of the garments.”

“The heroes of the story are the fans and their teams, we are the supporting characters and we know that,” Lou Ah Kee said. “Our job is to think about how to improve it. We hope Hometown Remix will be a really great way for fans to express their love for their city, club and market as a whole. And we hope people enjoy it.”