Let's say a clothing company approaches you about a partnership.
The deal looks good, your agent likes it and you're interested in the brand.
The company wants to film you arriving at the arena in your NHL jersey, use a few clips of you scoring goals and turn everything into a campaign.
Sounds pretty normal for a hockey player.
But there's something worth checking.
Does the company actually have permission to use all of that?
Just because you're in the video doesn't mean you own everything in it.
A company paying you to appear in an ad is one thing.
Using your team's logo, your NHL jersey or actual game footage can be another.
Those things can involve rights that belong to the team, league or other parties.
So even though you're the player featured in the campaign, you might not be able to give the company permission to use everything it wants.
Here's an example.
A clothing brand wants an ad that starts with you scoring an NHL goal, then cuts to you walking into the arena wearing its clothing.
You've agreed to appear in the campaign.
But the brand hasn't secured permission to use the game footage or team branding.
Now the company might have to change the idea.
Maybe it removes the game footage.
Maybe it uses footage created specifically for the campaign.
Or maybe it gets the additional permissions it needs.
None of that necessarily means the deal can't happen.
But it's a much easier conversation to have before everyone starts filming.
And what about AI?
This is another thing I'd pay attention to.
Let's say you film an ad for a company.
A few months later, it wants to use AI to create additional videos using your face or voice.
Maybe it wants to make it look like you're saying something new without bringing you back to film it.
That's not necessarily the same thing as using the original video.
And I wouldn't assume you want to give a company permission to do that just because you agreed to a photoshoot.
If AI use is part of the deal, it should be clear what the company can create and how long it can use it.
You don't need to figure all of this out yourself.
Your agent and the people managing the campaign should be able to work through the permissions.
But I think it's worth understanding what's happening.
Here's what I'd ask your agent:
“Have we seen what the company actually wants to create, and who's making sure it has permission to use everything?”
You don't need to manage the campaign.
But you should know what a brand is planning to do with your name, face and content before agreeing.
For more guidance on hockey brand deals and sponsorships, visit the Player Partnerships Players Hub.