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Canada forced to wear generic jersey at upcoming international hockey tournament

Colton Pankiw
Colton Pankiw
|
Nov 4 2026, 11:23 pm
Canada forced to wear generic jersey at upcoming international hockey tournament
Amber Searls/Imagn Images

Canada’s women’s hockey team will have a different look when it takes the ice at this week’s IIHF Women’s World Championship in Denmark.

Hockey Canada confirmed Wednesday that its players have been instructed to wear jerseys supplied by TRUE Hockey, the IIHF’s official uniform manufacturer, instead of the new Bauer-designed uniforms recently unveiled by the organization.

The decision stems from an ongoing disagreement between the IIHF and several of its member associations over commercial rights to national team uniforms.

The IIHF signed an exclusive agreement with TRUE Hockey in 2025, making the company its official apparel supplier. However, Hockey Canada already had a long-term partnership with Bauer that runs through the 2033-34 season.

canada-womens-jersey

Amber Searls/Imagn Images

Hockey Canada has argued that IIHF bylaws give individual member associations control over the rights to their national team logos, emblems, and uniform designs. Specifically, the organization has pointed to statute 24.3 in the IIHF’s bylaws.

The disagreement eventually escalated into legal action, with Hockey Canada and USA Hockey seeking temporary injunctions to prevent the IIHF from enforcing its new supplier agreement. Those injunctions were subsequently lifted, allowing the IIHF’s decision to move forward.

In a statement released Wednesday, Hockey Canada acknowledged that its national women’s team would have to comply with the IIHF’s uniform requirements at the upcoming tournament.

“Due to ongoing discussions with the IIHF relating to commercial rights of its Member National Associations, Hockey Canada has been advised that our National Women’s Team must wear a jersey designed by the IIHF and its jersey supplier at the 2026 IIHF Women’s World Championship,” the organization said.

Hockey Canada also revealed that it has not yet seen the uniforms its players will be wearing when the tournament gets underway.

“While we have yet to see the jersey Canada will be playing in on Friday, our team remains focused on the tournament and representing our country proudly on and off the ice.”

Despite the unusual circumstances, Hockey Canada is still moving ahead with the release of its new Bauer jerseys for fans.

“The new official Hockey Canada Bauer jersey will be available for purchase online at the Hockey Canada Shop beginning tomorrow,” the statement added.

Canada begins its quest for a record 14th Women’s World Championship gold medal Friday against Sweden. The tournament runs from Nov. 6 to 16 in Denmark.

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