Nike Kills Its Hockey Canada Sponsorship

After a slew of sexual assault allegations in 2022, Hockey Canada has now lost its Nike sponsorship.

According to The Globe and Mail, Nike's termination of the sponsorship is permanent. The company had initially put it on pause when the allegations surfaced, though it was the last marketing partner to do so.

Nike refused to comment or answer any questions the publication had, despite having issued a statement.

“We will continue to provide on-ice product for Hockey Canada athletes as part of our partnership with the International Ice Hockey Federation, but our individual partnership with the federation has ended,” Nike’s statement wrote.

Nike didn't confirm when, exactly, it ended its sponsorship of Hockey Canada, but it's worth noting the two had been partners since 1999.

Bauer, another company that had paused its sponsorship of Hockey Canada, went in the other direction, restarting its partnership with the nation's governing body for the sport.

Canadian Tire, Sobeys, and Hankook Tire Canada all permanently ended their partnerships with Hockey Canada, while Tim Hortons, Telus, Esso, and BFL Canada pulled their sponsorships for the 2022-23 season.

Since the scandal first arose, Hockey Canada's leadership changed immensely. Michael Brind'Amour, the board chair, resigned in August 2022, while his interim replacement Andrea Skinner lasted only a few months before stepping down in October. Scott Smith, Hockey Canada's CEO, resigned shortly after Skinner. The board members resigned as well.

In May 2022, a settlement surfaced detailing sexual assault allegations from 2018. Several months later, it was revealed that Hockey Canada had used player registration fees to pay out settlements of these alleged misconducts.

Last week, Rick Westhead of TSN tweeted that "sponsors and player agents [...] are bracing for the NHL's possible release of an investigation report re an alleged sexual assault involving as many as eight players on Canada's 2018 world juniors team."