A dispute between world hockey’s regulatory body and Hockey Canada and USA Hockey could result in drastically different looks for the two top teams at next week’s women’s world championship.
TSN Hockey Insider and Hailey Salvian report in The Athletic that disagreement over commercial rights related to uniforms might see Canada and the U.S. play in brand new jerseys that do not feature their regular logos.
In 2025, the IIHF signed an exclusive deal with Canadian manufacturer TRUE Hockey to become the “exclusive supplier of team uniforms and apparel for all IIHF Member National Associations for all international events,” but as Johnston and Salvian note, it remains unclear if the deal - set to take effect for the 2026-2027 season - was ever finalized. Hockey Canada has an existing deal with Bauer, which holds rights through 2033-2034, while USA Hockey has an agreement with CCM.
Sources tell The Athletic that both Canada and the U.S. believe they hold the commercial rights to their own jerseys on account of statute 24.3 in IIHF bylaws that states Member National Associations “retain all rights related to their national team logo, emblem and uniform design.”
An IIHF congress that wrapped up last month gave the body the authority to override the statute, but both Canada and the U.S. filed for an injunction in a Swiss court when the congress was announced last spring. The temporary injunction was ultimately lifted, forcing Canada and the U.S. to file an appeal.
“Wearing our Maple Leaf is incredibly important to our national team athletes, and we are hopeful that we will reach a positive resolution with the IIHF’s new administration that will allow the National Women’s Team to do so when they represent Canada at the Women’s Worlds next week in Denmark,” Hockey Canada said in a statement when reached for comment.
Canada is set to open its tournament on Nov. 6 against Sweden in Denmark. The defending champion U.S. begins play on that same day against Switzerland. Canada defeated the U.S. in pre-tournament action, 5-3, on Wednesday night in Windsor, Ont.