National Hockey League to launch NFT Marketplace

The National Hockey League (NHL) has announced their dive into NFTs, partnering with Sweet to launch their official NFT marketplace. The multiyear partnership names Sweet an official NFT partner of the NHL, NHLPA, and NHLAA.

The marketplace, set to launch for the start of the 2022-23 NHL season, will showcase both current and past moments of the game in the form of NFTs. Plans for additional specialty packs, gamified collection experiences, 3D interactive display rooms and dynamic team NFTs are also in the works.

The planned moment NFTs will be comprised of cinematic, high definition game highlights and other "cutting-edge" features. The marketplace will allow fans to showcase their purchases through innovative hockey experiences, and plans on hosting quests and challenges to increase fan engagement.

"We are proud to be launching the NHL's official NFT Digital Collectibles Marketplace this upcoming season and to offer this new and innovative interactive touchpoint for NHL fans," said Dave Lehanski, NHL Executive Vice President, Business Development and Innovation. "We invested a significant amount of time to analyze the marketplace and establish a fan-first strategy and are now thrilled to announce a partnership with a company that will not only provide us with a world-class digital NFT collectibles experience, but also a commitment to develop a comprehensive platform that is completely designed and customized for the NHL and wholly focused on connecting with hockey fans in the most authentic and engaging manner possible."

The NHL is the last of the four major American sports leagues to partner with an official NFT marketplace. Both the NBA and NFL have partnered with Dapper Labs, using NBA Top Shot and NFL All Day, respectively. Major League Baseball has had a number of NFT ventures, with Candy being their most popular.

To sign up for more announcements on the project, fans can visit the official NHL Sweet landing page.