The collection, called Hometown Remix, is a leaguewide special edition uniform, apparel, and headwear program designed in-house by the global sports platform Fanatics. It includes a bespoke jersey for each NHL team that will be worn at multiple points throughout the season, as well as a matching line of fan gear.

Every jersey was made through a series of workshops between Fanatics and the team to land on a look that represents each club’s local culture. The first jerseys will hit the ice when the Florida Panthers, Chicago Blackhawks, and San Jose Sharks play on November 2, and the fan apparel is available now across the Fanatics network of sites and in team stores.

Since becoming the NHL’s on-ice uniform partner in 2024, Fanatics has designed several special edition uniforms for marquee events like the 4 Nations Face-Off and NHL Winter Classic. With Hometown Remix, though, the brand is making its first foray into a leaguewide jersey program—and its strategy demonstrates how Fanatics and the NHL are using design to drum up anticipation throughout the season.

How leaguewide custom jerseys took off

For devoted NHL fans, the concept of a leaguewide jersey program isn’t new. The league first tried something similar back in 2020, when it launched a jersey line called Reverse Retro in partnership with its then-official outfitter, Adidas. The program created uniforms for each club inspired by a specific era in its history, but with a modern spin. It was so successful that, in 2022, Adidas brought the concept back—this time, to a surge of fan theories and mock-ups.

At the time, Dan Near, senior director at Adidas hockey, told ESPN, “We’re excited about the speculation. I think if you look back at the first time we launched in 2020, it came out of nowhere. Nobody knew what it was.” The jersey launch created its own cult following of NHL devotees, and, clearly, the NHL immediately recognized it as an ongoing marketing opportunity. 

“When we partnered up with the NHL, there was always a conversation around, ‘Is there going to be a leaguewide initiative? Is that something that Fanatics can bring to the table?’” says Dom Fillion, vice president of creative design and innovation at Fanatics. “We certainly heard about it from fans on socials and in conversation as well.”