Florida Panthers

Photo credit: Yahoo Sports

The rematch between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers in the 2025 Stanley Cup has begun, and thanks to Gary Bettman and the NHL’s hubris, ads are once again ruining the sanctity of the NHL jersey.

NHL fans treat their team’s jersey as a sacred bond between themselves and the players on the ice. The crest evokes emotions, and the name of the back excitement, whether it’s your favorite fourth-liner or top-six superstar.

It’s a special thing. That special thing has been mangled by advertisements, as the NHL continues its money grab that started during the 2022-2023 season.

As the advertisements on the front have caused teams to shift the Stanley Cup patch to the right, in an ugly situation where we almost see it collide with some Cs and As on each team.

Even then, it’s still an ugly proposition, as an advertiser gets precedent over the Stanley Cup? In what world?

Fans are righteously mocking the concept, which we’ll see on the ice during the Stanley Cup finals.

The NHL should consider shifting the ads off the jerseys in this one instance, but we know the owners love the extra cash, so they’ll never consider an option like this.

If you believe the Stanley Cup finals are a meaningful end to the year for one of the best sports in the world, why would you ruin players’ jerseys, like Sash Barkov, Leon Draisaitl, or Connor McDavid, with these monstrosities?

You may argue that “it’s the cost of doing business”, well, it also cheapens the product, as hockey fans, don’t we have enough marketing in our daily lives already?

Regardless, the switch has been flipped, and it’ll likely never be turned off once again as cash flow reigns supreme.

Edmonton is a hockey town, but at what expense does it come?