Billionaire Beggars

It's hard for me to look at the NHL and believe that they care about the game. Some people who work for the NHL likely have good intentions when it comes to making the game better and holding onto some of its traditions, but we know of one road that was paved with good intentions. I say that with all the cynicism I can muster because it seems like the NHL is going to allow Fanatics to dress its players in another league-wide jersey promotion that has all the hallmarks of a cash grab. As Jason Lee sarcastically said in Mallrats as he entered the mall, "I love the smell of commerce in the morning!"

According to a post on Reddit that seems to carry some weight as per Glenn Cook on SportsLogos.net, a Reddit user with a throwaway account called "PollutionSoggy9411" wrote that Redditor works "for a hockey retailer in the US", and that their inventory for this retailer showed that there may be a "new league wide alternate program" next season. If this feels like the Reverse Retro campaign, read on.

"PollutionSoggy9411" cautioned readers to take the posted information "with a grain of salt as none of this is confirmed," but it seems the NHL and Fanatics will be calling this new league-wide jersey promotion "Hometown Remix". Some are comparing it to the NBA's City jerseys or MLB's City Connect jerseys, and the colours proposed for some teams in the post made by "PollutionSoggy9411" are downright ridiculous if not insane. What is the point of this?

Nothing is confirmed yet so I won't add any additional commentary to this, but where there's smoke there usually is fire. We know the NHL would sell its soul for another zero on the bottom line, so adding another set of unnecessary, visually-offensive jerseys to their merchandise options seems right on target for the NHL. I'll wait for the official announcement on the new jersey campaign for 2026-27, but I can already tell you that this is nothing more than a desperate money grab by a league that cares only for its bottom line.

Billionaire Beggars II

Rogers Communications is worth just over $27.5 billion, but it doesn't stop them from begging for your hand-me-down clothing. You would think that a company who can afford to buy virtually every Toronto professional sports team and post their name across multiple arenas in Canada would do something a little more charitable than asking Canadians for donations, but Rogers isn't into giving anything back.

According to their most recent marketing release, Rogers is launching "The Great Canadian Jersey campaign" which is "the latest installment in the Rogers This Is Our Game campaign". This new initiative from Rogers "invites Canadians to donate old hockey jerseys for a new project" that sees "Cameron Lizotte, a former OHL player turned fashion designer" stitching together pieces of the collected jerseys "to create one-of-a-kind hockey jerseys representing all facets of the sport and this country's deep history with the game."

Immediately, thoughts of the jersey foul to the right pop into my head because there is no way that Rogers should be doing something like this. If they truly insist on desecrating and destroying jerseys, the least they could do is donate some money to each hockey program represented by the jerseys they receive. Rogers is worth $27 billion - they can afford to donate a thousand bucks to minor hockey teams to help them continue to write more chapters in "this country's deep history with the game".

You might say, "Maybe they can give each person who donates something," and it seems they're giving everyone false hope as a reward. According to the release, "All Canadians who donate a jersey will be entered for a chance to win the Ultimate VIP Hockey Road Trip to see any Canadian NHL team on the road during the 2025-26 regular season" which is great, but only one person wins. Everyone else gets nothing more than a hearty "thanks" before being sent on your way.

That's what your hockey memories are worth to Rogers.

Anyone who wants to participate in this madness can donate a jersey at a Rogers store until January 15. As per the release, "[t]he final patchwork jerseys will be revealed later this month and will be featured as part of a national advertising campaign" which will only help Rogers make more money. I'd have no problem with that being the case if they were to make donations to the hockey programs used in their "patchwork jerseys", but that's not happening at any point.

It's one thing to be charged insane telecommunications fees for terrible service, but asking people to donate their hockey histories so Rogers can profit off of those histories is gross. But that's just a footnote on the balance sheet for a $27-billion company, right?

I may not have an eye for fashion like Cameron Lizotte, the NHL, or Rogers Communications, but I do know that having massive companies hawking cheap merchandise and begging for your hockey memories is just in poor taste. You don't need to be a fashion icon to know that.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!