Del Zotto, Cammalleri, Stempniak open to possibility of ads on jerseys

A trio of NHL veterans said they're willing to entertain the idea of advertisements on jerseys, within reason.

“During the lockout I played over in Switzerland so I kinda got a feel for it,” Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Michael Del Zotto told Sportsnet's Luke Fox. “It wasn’t a huge deal.”

Here's what Del Zotto wore while playing for Rapperswil-Jona in 2012-13:

(Courtesy: SNY)

“Like everything in the game, you’re not going to keep everyone happy,” Del Zotto said. “Whatever happens, we’ll have to deal with it. It’s not a big deal for me. It’s something everyone’s going to have to deal with.”

New Jersey Devils forward Mike Cammalleri acknowledges there's money to be made by placing corporate logos on jerseys, but said it's important to keep tradition in mind.

“You’d have to look at the financials of it and see what type of revenue might be drawn from it,” Cammalleri said. “There’s something to be said for the (team) logo and hockey, the way it’s been and the history of that, and representing the logo on the front of the chest.”

Free agent Lee Stempniak supports the status quo, but said the league could find a balance between having a large number of ads and none at all.

"I’m a big fan of the jerseys the way they are,” he said. “(But) at the end of the day, you have to make everyone happy. I think you have to find some common ground and maybe compromise. There’s a way to tastefully do that, maybe pick one or two spots to put a logo or advertisement and not make a collage of it.”

On Tuesday, Winnipeg Jets forward Blake Wheeler urged the league not to place additional ads on jerseys, tweeting that it would tarnish them.

The NHL and Adidas reportedly agreed to a uniform deal Monday that could pave the way to more corporate logos on jerseys when the agreement takes effect for the 2017-18 season. The deal is expected to be formally announced next month.