According to ESPN's survey of 32 NHL teams, the Arizona Coyotes are currently the only team that plans to relax their players' dress code.
The NHL is the only major North American professional men's sports league that has a gameday dress code. It is a part of its collective bargaining agreement. Exhibit 14 Paragraph 5 of CBA states: "Players must wear jackets and ties to all Club games, and while travelling to and from such Games, unless otherwise stated by the Head Coach and General Manager."
Players were told by the NHL that they could dress however they like for the 2020 postseason bubbles in Toronto or Edmonton. This was something most players enjoyed but the NHL reverted to its CBA policy last year.
The Coyotes were not interested in the idea. Alex Meruelo Jr. was the team's chief branding officer and approached Oliver Ekman Larsson, a former team captain, with the idea to make home games more casual. Ekman Larsson loved it.
"[Meruelo] is open to the idea to go to the game, growing our fan base and any other things we can do to make it unique and different, they're always willing to try different things," Jakob Chychrun, a Coyotes defenseman, told ESPN. It was an honor to be the first team to have no dress code. It was a great experience for the guys. It's great to show off a little bit of yourself and your wardrobe, other than your suits. It was fun. I enjoyed it. It was a great experience.
Chychrun stated that he was most excited about wearing a Balenciaga "funky sweater", with a "crazy pattern," last season.
He said, "It was loud and fun to wear." "A small statement."
NBA and NFL players often transform arena entrances into fashion shows, wearing designer and streetwear looks. These look can be shared on social media, and even create their own news cycle such as Serge Ibaka, Toronto Raptors center,'s beanie and sweater, and oversized scarf look in 2020.
Some players wish they could do the same, including Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs center.
Matthews stated that he wished there was no dress code to play games and other stuff in an interview with ESPN. Although I don't mind wearing a suit it does get old. It can get old very quickly. It would be great to be able to experiment with different clothes and express your creativity, much like the NBA or the NFL. I wear whatever makes me happy, both outside and inside the rink. We have to adhere to certain rules when it comes down to games. We're going to be doing this soon, we hope.
According to the Nashville Predators and Columbus Blue Jackets, both teams have plans to allow players to wear team-issued tracksuits to games this season. Some teams have dropped the tie requirement and only require a suit.
For the preseason, expansion Seattle Kraken asked that players dress business casually for game days. Although the NHL's newest team has yet to figure out its regular-season code, the Kraken are looking at changing it from the traditional tie and suit rule.
The Dallas Stars adopted a "bubble casual” policy for games in the final two months of the season, but they said that they will return to suits and ties for the 2021-22 season.
Sources claim that the NHLPA has been working behind the scenes to make the league more fashion-friendly. This will allow players to build their own brands and "grow" the game, which has been a long-held league motto.
According to one league source, the NHL will relax their dress code in the next five years. However, it takes time for long-standing norms to be changed. Sources noted that the NHL is a replica league so once a few teams get on board, it will snowball.
ESPN reported that one NHL player said that he and his teammates had openly discussed their desire to follow in the footsteps of the Coyotes.
"Our general manager is so out of touch. The player stated that he didn't believe it would happen. It's absurd. It doesn't matter what I wear to the rink. Maybe I will play better if I don't wear a suit and tie on the bus for an hour and instead wear something that I feel more comfortable in.
"I get the tradition. "I understand that we are representing the NHL and that the NHL team doesn't want to be embarrassed. This is a good example of why the NHL remains behind the NFL and NBA in certain ways. Our league wants to grow but is afraid to. We must move forward.
