Canada and the United States say they do not yet know what jersey designs they will wear at the women’s world hockey championship in Denmark as a dispute over commercial rights continues with the IIHF.
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Canada and the United States are heading into the women’s world hockey championship in Denmark next week without certainty over what their players will be wearing, as a disagreement involving the IIHF and the countries’ hockey governing bodies continues.
The standoff centres on who controls commercial rights for national team jerseys. The IIHF said in a press release last October that True Hockey would be the "exclusive supplier of team uniforms and apparel for all IIHF member national associations for all international events" beginning in 2026-27, but it remains unclear whether the arrangement is complete as described.
Hockey Canada and USA Hockey have separate apparel and jersey agreements in place with Bauer and CCM respectively. The two federations have also challenged the situation in Swiss court.
The IIHF’s bylaws say the organization has final approval on jersey designs, while member national associations (MNAs) "retain all rights related to their national team logo, emblem and uniform design." The bylaws further state the IIHF cannot use MNA team jerseys for commercial purposes unless the respective MNA provides approval.
An IIHF extraordinary congress was held in May with the goal of changing statutes related to control of national team jersey commercial rights. Hockey Canada and USA Hockey each sought injunctions from the Swiss court, temporary injunctions were granted before the congress, and then they were revoked last month; both federations have appealed.
Hockey Canada said in a statement that "wearing our Maple Leaf is incredibly important to our national team athletes" and that it is "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." USA Hockey did not respond to a request for comment.
Canada opens the women’s world championship against Sweden on Nov. 6, while the United States plays Switzerland later that day. Canada and the U.S. also have a final tune-up scheduled for Friday in Plymouth, Mich., ahead of the tournament.
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