Recently, I had an off-beat hockey discussion with a Finnish hockey writing colleague. The subject: The uniforms worn by teams throughout Europe vs. those in the NHL.
Like Nascar drivers, European hockey players have virtually their entire uniforms -- including the seat of their pants -- covered in sponsors' ads. In a few cases, like soccer, the logos of hockey teams' main sponsors are bigger than the team's crest on the uniform. If you didn't know better, you might think the Volkswagens were playing Siemens Mobile.
The ads are crucial for teams' existence. Sponsorships are the lifeblood of European hockey. There's no other choice, given the modest gate revenues and general lack of substantial TV money. In fact, Russian teams actually pay television networks to show their games, rather than vice versa.
European teams are also way behind their North American counterparts in merchandising. For example: only two teams in Finland topped $500,000 in merchandise sales in 2005-2006.
Transfer fees from NHL clubs help, but not much. Once the national hockey federation takes its cut of the fees and then distributes the balance, teams don't get much of a final return on investment for players they've developed from childhood straight through to the pro ranks.
Viewed in this light, the Russian hockey teams' negative stance on the NHL-IIHF transfer agreement becomes more understandable (although the extortionate fees teams had in mind for top players smacked of greed). So does the advertising overload you see on the uniforms and all over the ice, including ads filling the entire offensive zone faceoff circles.
Meanwhile, for fans there's a definite plus to all the ads: They keep ticket prices affordable. In most European countries, an elite league game is a fraction of the cost of an NHL game and, in cases of the Czech Republic and Russia, often cheaper than even a typical AHL game.
In Prague, for example, a ticket to a regular season Sparta Prague game at T-Mobile Arena costs only about $5 ($2 if you're willing to stand). Even at Prague's new Sazka Arena, seeing a Slavia game costs about $15 for a corner seat up to a maximum $44 for premium seating.
So I ask my fellow North American fans this question. If tickets to an NHL game could be, say, 50% cheaper if NHL players wore advertising-strewn uniforms would you as a paying customer make the trade-off? Or would it too bush league, in your opinion?
As a frame of reference, this photo depicts two typical uniforms in European hockey:
http://www.tapparafancenter.com/2006/051119_Tappara-Pelicans/IMG_8345.jpg
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
Join the Discussion:
»