Possible modifications to NHL jerseys

Adidas will be the new supplier for the NHL when it comes to jerseys next season, having outbid companies like Under Armour and Bauer. They’ll take over from Reebok, which happens to be a company Adidas already owned, so the fears of full fledged European style ads on uniforms are probably far fetched.

That being said, the NHL has warned us that ads will eventually make their way to NHL jerseys, which means we should get ready for major sponsors to be displayed prominently on our favourite hockey sweaters.

In the mean time the NHL and Adidas will be able to market new and improved jerseys, which is always a smart move when trying to squeeze every last dollar from passionate fans.

How bad will the eventual ads be? No one knows, but there’s been some whispers that Adidas may incorporate their classic three-stripe trademark, among other modifications.

Here’s what the Canadiens’ jersey could look like if Adidas does go down that route, via Uni Watch:

My first impression is that it’s terrible, but that’s to be expected whenever you modify a classic jersey.

What if mimic soccer kits, and simply display only one sponsor on the jersey, while relegating the logo to the upper corner? Well, the results aren’t exactly beautiful.

Of course, those are very quick mock-up examples, and be assured that Adidas would spend more time working on the design, however it gives us a good idea of how the jerseys may end up looking if the sponsor is placed in the spotlight.

What do you think?