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Hockey world unimpressed with new sponsor on Canadiens jersey
When the Montreal Canadiens revealed that Nick Suzuki will be their 31st captain in franchise history on Monday morning, they couldn’t possibly have imagined that the addition of a patch on the other shoulder would be the story making headlines.
Hockey fans from across social media expressed disappointment and even outrage after the Montreal Canadiens announced a multi-year partnership with RBC that will see the company’s logo included on Canadiens jerseys for the foreseeable future.
RBC logo on the new Habs uniform. pic.twitter.com/nENBrlbPd0
— David Alter (@dalter) September 12, 2022
The release, which did not specify the terms or length of the agreement between the parties, also noted that fans would have the option to include the patch when purchasing jerseys, as the NHL begins to roll out its new Jersey Advertising Program across the league.
As for how Twitter reacted, it’s perhaps unsurprising that the announcement was met with significant resistance and criticism from Canadiens' and NHL fans alike.
I didn’t think the RBC patch was going to bother me, but it bothers me. https://t.co/eQHY8OSiL7
— HabsLinks (@HabsLinks) September 12, 2022
It's not about the name on the back, it's about the symbol on the front. The RBC logo! Get a mortgage at 5.35% for first time buyers when you.... https://t.co/LgpEoPmNyI
— Totally Offsite (@Totally_Offside) September 12, 2022
Like i get it, this is the world we live in. Everything is a commodity. Still, that rbc patch makes me sad as hell pic.twitter.com/b60GT2ghWf
— Eric Wickham (@ES_Wickham) September 12, 2022
If I were still a working fella on the day @CanadiensMTL added an RBC patch to la sainte flanelle, my first call would be to Roch Carrier.
— Michael Farber (@MichaelFarber3) September 12, 2022
"Ads on jerseys? The NHL has gone too far!" he says while sitting in Bell Centre, watching a game with ads on the ice, boards and more CGI'd onto the rink, with players rocking helmet ads, waiting to see the RBC GWG scored and the Crypto dot com 1st Star of the Game revealed.
— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) September 12, 2022
Other Canadiens fans expressed a deep disappointment that it dramatically overshadowed the other major news of the day surrounding Nick Suzuki.
I hate that this announcement, which should be a HUGE good news story, is overshadowed by that garish, tasteless @RBC patch tarnishing the Sainte Flanelle. https://t.co/H8AUviDRZd
— Thirty Seconds to Morb (@r_droc) September 12, 2022
I can’t believe I have to say this, but please stop saying “the Habs are now bleu, blanc, rouge et jaune” in reference to the RBC logo on the same day Japanese-Canadian Nick Suzuki just became the new captain.
— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) September 12, 2022
Personally I’m much more interested in the C patch being added to Suzuki’s jersey than the RBC patch being added to all Habs jerseys. Habs new captain should be the BIG news of the day, not Habs/NHL sponsors. Congrats to Slick Nick!
— Shaun McHabs fan (@S_McHabs) September 12, 2022
Some fans expected the storied franchise to reject having a sponsor on the classic bleu-blanc-rouge sweater altogether, like the Edmonton Oilers chose to do, as reported by TSN's Tom Gazzola last Tuesday. According to Gazzola, the Oilers will not be sporting a sponsor on their helmets when playing at home, opting only to have an ad on their away helmets.
Images of sponsors on team jerseys began to circulate during the annual NHLPA Rookie Showcase last week in Arlington, Virginia.
While unpopular on the whole, the addition of jersey advertisements serve to be an extremely lucrative venture for the National Hockey League. Some experts have estimated the program could draw in over $100 million in new revenue for the league, and could help offset some of the financial difficulties that have led to a flat salary cap in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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