Retro wave: NHL embraces hockey jerseys’ influence in hip-hop – Sports Business Journal

It was common in the ’90s to “see videos with rappers in hockey jerseys,” and now the hip-hop fashion trend has “returned,” according to Adam Aziz of ANDSCAPE. Some of the biggest names in music such as Snoop Dogg, J. Cole and Drake have been “seen wearing NHL team jerseys.” Also, R&B musician SZA “reps her hometown” of St. Louis in a custom Blues jersey on the cover of her No. 1 new album ‘SOS.’ Another factor that may be playing into the return of hockey jerseys as a “fashion statement” is that the NHL itself is “changing.” The league is “loaded with young stars,” many who, like Maple Leafs C Auston Matthews, Blue Jackets LW Patrik Laine and Ducks C Trevor Zegras, are “eschewing hockey tradition, both in their off-ice fashion and on-ice play.” Some of the league’s teams, such as the Maple Leafs, have “relaxed their dress codes, allowing players’ personalities to shine through more.” Aziz asked, “Why didn’t the NHL capitalize on the original trend in the ’90s?” NHL VP/Multicultural Engagement and Integration Jennifer Ekeleme said the NHL is “in a space now to capitalize on it” (ANDSCAPE, 1/31).