NHL debuts new Fanatics Stanley Cup hats and fans hate them

With the conclusion of the 2023-24 NHL campaign comes the end of the league’s uniform partnership with Adidas.

Moving into a 10-year deal with controversial sports merchandise company Fanatics as of next season, the Stanley Cup Final gave hockey fans their first glimpse of the new partnership on Monday.

And people are not pleased.

After sealing the deal in Game 7, Florida Panthers players and personnel were given championship hats manufactured by Fanatics.

It didn’t take long for fans on social media to notice and start complaining about a few design features.

One X user compared the grey hats bearing a red patch to something you would find at a gas station.

Another made similar truckstop-style comparisons to the hat, which is currently selling for $47.99 on the Fanatics website.

One X account known for pointing out flaws and defects in Fanatics merchandise shared images of other underwhelming Stanley Cup Final hats the company has produced for the NHL in recent years.

The new lids also drew up some nostalgia for older NHL-issued hats.

And in the spirit of spotting the differences, one user argued the superiority of the AHL’s most recent Calder Cup hats, which feature elaborate stitching.

From see-through pants in the MLB to bizarre errors on their production line, criticism of Fanatics is nothing new.

As a result, many hockey fans are dreading the company taking control of uniforms going forward.

While they’ve already released plenty of playoff merchandise with minimal controversy, a first look at Fanatics’ on-ice uniforms is expected to drop in the coming days. Let’s see if we’re in for a pleasant surprise or more meme-worthy content come next season.

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