NHL, NHLPA partner on official NFT license agreement

Sweet, a non-fungible token (NFT) distribution platform, is now the official NFT partner and marketplace for digital collectibles for the NHL, NHL Players’ Association and NHL Alumni Association in one of the largest licensing agreements in league history.

With a planned launch at the start of the 2022-23 NHL season, the multi-year partnership is the first to bring the NHL, NHLPA and NHLAA together to offer NFTs that use current and archived video moments and collectibles. They will feature teams and players from across the NHL.

Sweet is building an independent NHL marketplace for NFTs, and seeks to reach the collectibles market as well as fans who want to access a variety of hockey experiences through tokens.

“The decision that we really got to go with Sweet was their willingness to create something specific for the NHL and our fans, as opposed to connecting to a multi-sports marketplace,” Dave Lehanski, NHL’s executive vice president of business development and innovation, told ESPN . “Everything past, present and future is on the table and in a consolidated marketplace.”

This includes NFTs from past and present players, as this is a complete partnership between the NHL and its players’ associations.

“We look forward to working with Sweet to promote our game like never before, by giving fans a chance to capture their favorite player moments, and to interact with players and other fans in a whole new way,” said Mathieu Schneider. Assistant to the NHLPA CEO.

Lehanski acknowledged that “some may say we took too much time” to get into the NFT area, but disagreed that it was a disadvantage for the NHL.

“If we had done something when everyone said we were going to do something, we would not have been able to think long-term, we would not be able to see what else everyone had done. We would be better prepared than some of the units that came in. a year ago, “he said.

It includes the ability to roll with the volatility of the NFT market – as well as with the skepticism surrounding it.

“For people who say ‘ha, NFTs,’ we do not believe it. We spend a lot of time talking to people in space, and they say the same thing: There will be short-term volatility, but long-term NFTs will definitely be here. and be a viable means of building consumer products, “he said.

Among the planned NFT innovations for the NHL, NHLPA and NHLAA: special packages, gamified collection experiences, 3D interactive trophy rooms where users can view their collections, and dynamic NFTs designed to change based on current team data, as well as missions and challenges that increase fan engagement through their fundraising opportunities.

Tom Mizzone, CEO of Sweet, said in a statement: “We are honored to collaborate on a first launch in the industry with an organization as globally known as the NHL. In close collaboration with the league and associations, we have curated some visually impressive action-packed moments. , which utilizes gamification in the game to create a genuinely engaging and unique relationship between collectibles and experiences. “