Unlike the NFL or the NBA, the NHL has rarely had a lot to offer when it came to fashion. While football stars like Jeremiah Owusu-Kromah are often considered fashion icons, the hockey fraternity is more used to seeing their favorite players in the same three business suits over and over again. However, that could soon change, but the fans aren’t exactly sure what to make of it.
The NHL is the only major sports league in the USA and Canada that has had a strict dress code for the players arriving at games. Naturally, back in 2021, when the Arizona Coyotes became the first team to relax dress codes for the athletes, that caused quite the stir within the community. “I think it’s great to be able to show a bit of your personality and your closet other than just your suits. I had fun with it,” defenseman Jakob Chychrun said about the Coyotes’ leniency. And now, it looks like the League itself is walking down a similar path, but the fans aren’t entirely on board.
In a post on X by ESPN writer Gregor Wyshynski from July 11, the NHL’s new verdict on the players’ dress code has been shared. “Clubs are not permitted to propose any rules concerning Player dress code” AND “Players are required to dress in a manner that is consistent with contemporary fashion norms,” the social media update quotes the NHL and NHLPA’s official statement on the matter.
“Sorry, Peaky Blinders cosplayers,” wrote Wyshynski in his post, as if sneering at how those who were stuck in a bygone era in terms of fashion now have to step up their wardrobe game. However, the update seems to be coming off as inane for the fans.
Official wording of the new player dress rules in the NHL/NHLPA CBA: “Clubs are not permitted to propose any rules concerning Player dress code” AND “Players are required to dress in a manner that is consistent with contemporary fashion norms.”
Sorry, Peaky Blinders cosplayers.
— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) July 11, 2025
“Next will be coaches not wearing suits. Terrible,” one fan couldn’t help but grumble at how the NHL’s new dictum could take away the oomph factor that made the League stand out from its peers.
The story is developing
The post New NHL Dress Code Update Faces Fans’ Backlash Over Vague Fashion Rules appeared first on EssentiallySports.