Connor Bedard upsets fans after signing with controversial NHL partner

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Axel Williams
October 2, 2024 (2:45 PM)

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Connor Bedard is going into his sophomore season with the Chicago Blackhawks, and there is a lot riding on his success.

Bedard is someone who is highly sought after, especially when it comes to memorabilia. Having said that, it should come as absolutely no surprise that Bedard would seek out an exclusivity deal that could pay him millions of dollars throughout the course of his career. According to ESPN writer Greg Wyshynski, it was confirmed today that Bedard actually signed an exclusive licensing deal with none other than Fanatics. Below, you can see what the deal encompasses.

"Officially licensed memorabilia and collectibles including authentic jerseys, pucks, sticks, photos" and game-used equipment from the NHL and beyond."

As you can imagine, fans were not too happy with the move from Bedard. After all, Fanatics is a pretty polarizing brand with a ton of flaws within it. Namely, the jerseys have been poorly built for quite some time. Furthermore, this is bad news for trading card companies like Upper Deck as they will not be able to make Bedard trading cards. It is anti-fan at best.

With Fanatics making the on-ice jerseys, they will be under even more scrutiny this season. Only time will tell whether or not they are able to get it together and deliver the product fans want. If they don't it is going to be a long season for them and the NHL, who has millions of dollars on the line.

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