The Panthers are slated to face the Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Final following their improbable playoff run.
Ahead of the franchise’s first Stanley Cup Final appearance since 1996, the team unveiled its jerseys, which include a commemorative patch.
Although the team was excited to reveal the new threads, the reaction from fans likely wasn’t what they expected.
Fans immediately called out one glaring issue with the jersey, which has the captain and alternate captain patch directly next to the Stanley Cup Final patch, creating for a crowded appearance on the left side of the chest.
Of course, the reason the patches are on the same side is due to the NHL’s advertisement deals, which reserve the opposite side for a jersey sponsorship.
New addition 👀 pic.twitter.com/B5kNbxs3Rm
— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) May 31, 2023
It’s easy to see why fans aren’t thrilled about the patch situation, which will likely also be the case for the Golden Knights’ uniforms.
That placement though pic.twitter.com/KN6BIM4Pfu
— Showtime (@showtimehcky) May 31, 2023
I hate jersey ads
— MN State of Hockey (@MinnesotaSOH) May 31, 2023
HOW MUCH AUTONATION PAYING YALL
— Kyle Fletcher (@KFLETCH___) May 31, 2023
AutoNation patch is apparently more important than the Stanley Cup one, seriously? Horrendous
— OhSureThing (@GetYoShinebox) May 31, 2023
That looks absolutely horrendous. I’m assuming Vegas will have a similar layout? Ugh
— Moore33 (@Moore33Gaming) May 31, 2023
Why didn't you remove the ad patch to put the Cup Final patch on the right shoulder
— Windy City Hawkey (@WCHawkey) May 31, 2023
As gurus help me out here. Why couldn’t the cup patch go under the AutoNation ad? https://t.co/pPdZk6Tkt9
— David Alter (@dalter) May 31, 2023
Ad placement is horrid. Way to ruin a jersey. https://t.co/q2XYMogEDR
— Nick Robison (@robisonnk) May 31, 2023
While the jersey ad sponsorships certainly help generate revenue for teams, fans were clearly not content with the jerseys for this year’s Stanley Cup Final.