Montreal Canadiens reach agreement with RBC to be first official game jersey partner

MONTREAL – The Montreal Canadiens have reached a multi-year jersey partnership agreement with RBC on Monday.

Adding the RBC patch to their historic jersey is a part of the new Jersey Advertising Program that allows teams to sell advertising on their jerseys beginning this upcoming season.

For every game jersey sold with the RBC logo at the site of the team’s official store, the bank will donate $20 to the Montreal Canadiens Children’s Foundation.

The logo will only be featured on the Canadiens’ home jerseys at Bell Centre.

Montreal made the announcement and unveiled the jerseys as part of the team’s annual golf tournament.

The partnership has swiftly received backlash, with Greenpeace Quebec voicing its displeasure saying its not something the team should feel proud about.

“It’s the worst bank in Canada, the one that contributes the most to climate change,” said Greenpeace spokesperson Patrick Bonin in an interview with The Canadian Press.

“We’re calling on fans who are planning to buy a jersey and asking them to paint the RBC logo black. Because that’s what this company is doing, it’s literally sullying the Sainte-Flanelle,” he added.

Among the world’s largest banks, RBC ranks fifth in fossil fuel investments ($201 billion between 2016 and 2021), according to the Banking on Climate Chaos report, published in March by a consortium of environmental groups.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2022.