According to The Globe and Mail’s Susan Krashinsky Robertson, Nike has permanently ceased sponsorship of Hockey Canada in the fallout of 2022’s sexual assault scandal.
Nike has been one of the organization’s biggest supporters since originally partnering in 1999. Nike paused its sponsorship in 2022, as did many of Hockey Canada’s other biggest backers, including Tim Hortons and Telus.
Bauer reinstated its deal with Hockey Canada earlier this month after Katherine Henderson took over as CEO and president of Canada’s top governing hockey body.
The move comes in the wake of the scandal involving 2018 World Junior Championship team that has been linked to sexual assault allegations. Hockey Canada has been under fire for its handling of the allegations, with the organization and the London, Ont. police reopening their investigations. A woman alleged she was assaulted by eight team members during a Hockey Canada Foundation gala in 2018.
The organization has held two world juniors, the 2023 Women’s World Championship and various other national team events since the case came to light. The 2022 World Juniors, in particular, had very few visible sponsors throughout the tournament, while other events have had significantly less than before.
Investigations into the handling of the sexual assault allegations have not been made public. Last week, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli said on the DFO Rundown that teams are preparing for the results of the investigation and how it could impact their players. So far, no player has been charged.
Canada is currently ranked first overall in both the men’s and women’s IIHF world rankings. Canada won gold at the 2022 and 2023 World Juniors, 2023 Women’s U-18 World Championship and the 2023 Men’s World Championship. The women’s team took home silver in Brampton back in April, while the men’s U-18 team won bronze later that same month.
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