Adidas is replacing Reebok as the official jersey supplier for the NHL next season. And out of necessity, Adidas is doing something that probably won’t make the best first impression among fans.
According to a report by the Star-Tribune, Adidas has decided to do away with third jerseys in the NHL for next season. In order to make sure Adidas meets the initial order for every teams home and away jerseys, they are foregoing the third jerseys for at least a season.
Currently, 14 of 30 NHL teams have a third jersey. Most of the time, the third jerseys are either based on a variation of the team colors or it’s a primarily black jersey. The Pittsburgh Penguins seemed to be the only team who went completely different with their third jersey, going with a throwback powder blue jersey. For the record, the Penguins do not have a third jersey this year.
I have to imagine this is only a short-term solution from Adidas. Third jerseys are usually meant as a means of additional revenue anyway so Adidas is probably going to bring back third jerseys in their second season as jersey supplier. But it would be way more embarrassing if Adidas wasn’t able to meet demand for the home and away jerseys for the 30 NHL teams that they will take the PR and revenue hit by not having third jerseys.
