Adidas to become NHL’s official uniform maker

Adidas will be the official supplier of jerseys of the National Hockey League (NHL) beginning in the 2017-18 season, informed several media outlets today. The sportswear giant won the long-term deal over rivals Under Armour and Bauer Hockey, acquiring the rights to make uniforms for the 30 NHL teams.

Adidas takes over the jersey contract from Rebook, which belongs since 2006 to the same corporation. Rebook held the rights of the NHL uniforms from 2007.

The new deal comes after Adidas announced in March its withdrawal from the National Basketball Association (NBA), revealing a change of strategy in terms of sponsorship. After 11 years of partnership, the company said it wanted to emphasize on new products and sponsor individual players beginning from 2017, reported Bloomberg News at the time.

According to TNS, Reebok is currently paying $35 million dollars per season for its NHL partnership, and Adidas’ contract will be twice as high.

Adidas hasn’t released any official statements yet, but it will allegedly make the official announcement mid-September.