NHL scores lifestyle apparel deal with 'nostalgia' sportswear brand

NHL Mitchell & Ness


NEW YORK: The NHL, Fanatics and Mitchell & Ness, which the online sports apparel major co-owns, announced an agreement Thursday giving the retro and streetwear brand official rights to create apparel and accessories for the NHL and its 32 teams.

Mitchell & Ness is an international lifestyle nostalgia brand that dates back to 1904, offering fans authentic throwback jerseys, licensed lifestyle products, street fashion apparel and headwear. It was acquired by Fanatics and a celebrity ownership that includes rapper Jay-Z and TikTok stars the D'Amelio family in February for $250 million.

"They [Mitchell & Ness] are an originalist, they look at the history of brands in sport and are very detailed about how they bring that history to life," NHL senior vice president of consumer products and licensing Jim Haskins said. "For hockey, our history is so rich. When you look back to the '60s, the '70s, the '80s, the class of '67 teams, the logos and the brands that came to life and the stories that were behind them, it is so rich with tradition and a lot of fun stuff."

The NHL collection will launch in November and consist of lifestyle and streetwear products, including fan jerseys, outwear, fleece, headwear, tops and bottoms.

"They are able to create this bridge to fashion, sport and culture like no other brand," Haskins said. "They help us widen the aperture of the audience as they dive into fashion, dive into streetwear and take us to places that are beyond the traditional sporting goods channels of distribution."

A seperate agreement with the NHL Players' Association to feature players on apparel and a separate agreement with the NHL Alumni Association to feature former stars on a wide range of products was also announced. 

Fans will be able to purchase Mitchell & Ness items on numerous websites, including Fanatics online store, NHL teams' official websites, the NHLShop.com and Mitchell & Ness' official website. Products will also be sold at in-arena stores, brick and mortar stores Mitchell & Ness services and the NHL Shop in New York City.