Kings to wear jersey patch ads for first time. Sponsor handles collisions off the ice
The Kings have never worn an advertising patch on their jerseys.
Mercury Insurance has never had its logo displayed on a team’s jersey.
That will change Tuesday when the Kings wear a patch featuring the Mercury Insurance logo when they host the Ducks in a preseason game.
The patch will continue to appear on the upper left portion of the jerseys during preseason, regular season and playoff games at Crypto.com Arena this season, the Kings and Mercury announced Monday, as part of a multi-year renewal agreement of a partnership between the two organizations that started in 2008.
“Mercury Insurance has become both a trusted and highly valued partner of our team over the years, and we are honored to be making history as we welcome them as our very first jersey partner,” Kings president Luc Robitaille said in a statement. “Together we have grown, evolved, and most importantly given back to the diverse communities of people who support us and help make our organizations great.”
The NHL is sending the Kings and Arizona Coyotes to Melbourne for a pair of exhibition games next week.
While the patch will be a first for the Kings, it’s not the first advertisement to appear on their uniforms. Since the NHL started allowing advertising logos on helmets for the 2020-21 season, L.A. has featured such names as California HOPE Crisis Counseling Program and American Express in that spot.
Logo patches got the green light from the league before the start of last season. The Ducks announced this summer a three-year deal to have the Western National Property Management logo appear on their home jersey, a first for the team.
The NHL franchises are the latest local professional sports teams to embrace jersey patch sponsorships. The Lakers inked a deal with South Korean food company Bibigo in 2021. The Angels started sporting a patch for Foundation Building Materials during spring training this year.
If you look at the Angels uniforms you might notice something different. Here’s why the team is wearing patches with “FBM” in spring training.