The PWHL x The Tragically Hip is the merch collab that had to happen. Here’s the history.

The connection between hockey and music in Canada has always been easy to hear. It lives in arena playlists, pre-game locker rooms and in headphones on long bus rides between rinks. Few bands sit closer to that intersection than The Tragically Hip—a group whose music has long been woven into the emotional fabric of Canadian life and, for many players, the rhythms of hockey itself.

This special cultural overlap has taken a tangible new form. Through a collaboration with the PWHL that launched in late January, The Tragically Hip’s legacy and the sport’s fastest-growing professional league have come together for a special merchandise collection celebrating two institutions that have shaped Canadian identity in their own ways.

For Jayna Hefford, a four-time Olympic gold medalist, Honoured Hockey Hall of Fame Member, and now the PWHL’s Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations, the partnership is deeply personal.

Hefford grew up in Kingston, Ontario, the same city where The Hip—as they are lovingly referred to amongst fans—formed in the early 1980s. In a tight-knit community known for producing influential figures in both hockey and music, the connection between the two worlds often felt natural.

“Being from Kingston, where the band is from, my older brother was a big fan when I was growing up,” Hefford recalled. “But as I became a teenager, I really got into their music.”

That connection eventually turned into something much more meaningful. During the 2000 Women’s World Hockey Championship in Mississauga, members of the band attended a game in which Hefford scored twice in the third period of a dramatic overtime victory. After the game, a connection was made.

As The Tragically Hip’s legendary and late frontman Gord Downie recalled in this 2002 interview in which he discussed those World Championships, “Jayna got the team back in the game and then tied the game. All she does is score winning goals...She’s really great. She’s my hero.”

Over the years that followed, Hefford’s relationship with the band deepened into a genuine friendship. She saw them perform everywhere from major Canadian arenas to smaller U.S. venues like the House of Blues in Chicago. And occasionally, the connection even extended to the ice.

“There was a time when I had the chance to play with Gord Downie. He invited me and some teammates to play outdoor hockey at a rink where he was a regular,” Hefford recalled. “He was a brilliant man that deeply loved hockey and was exceptionally passionate about the Boston Bruins.” (Downie’s godfather was longtime Bruins coach and executive, Harry Sinden).

The Hip didn’t just love Jayna Hefford; they loved their country and hockey—and proudly threw their financial support behind girls’ programs in Kingston. As The Tragically Hip bassist Gord Sinclair noted in a recent Instagram post reminiscing about those days, one of the most memorable intersections between the band and the sport came during the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. After Canada captured its first Olympic gold medal in women’s hockey with Hefford notching the winning goal, The Hip performed for Canadian athletes at a celebration the following night.

Hefford and her teammates joined the band onstage as the they played the song “Fireworks.”

“That was such a significant moment,” Hefford remembered. “Our first Olympic gold, and they were there to celebrate with us. Very cool. They’re such a Canadian band, and their music would be played in the locker room.”

The overlapping stories of music, community and hockey eventually led to the collaboration that now formally links the band with the PWHL.

“I was excited to do this,” Hefford said. “How cool to do a collaboration that’s outside of hockey but still true to the sport?”

The resulting collection blends the visual identity of the PWHL with imagery and references familiar to fans of The Tragically Hip. It’s designed not just as merchandise, but as a meeting point between two passionate fan bases. “Their fan base is huge and really broad,” Hefford said. “From people in their 60s who grew up with them to young people who still love their music.”

That wide appeal mirrors what the PWHL itself is building. In just a short time since its launch in January of 2024, the league has expanded the audience for women’s hockey across North America, drawing new fans while energizing longtime supporters of the sport.

For Hefford, that shared sense of cultural impact made the collaboration feel particularly fitting. “A lot of the success we’re having is bigger than women’s hockey and women’s sports,” she said. “For The Hip, they’re so tied to Canada and to hockey. They have always had an incredible impact in their community and across the country.”

That sentiment is part of what makes this collaboration meaningful for the league. The PWHL has quickly established itself as a new chapter in the history of women’s hockey, but it is also deeply connected to the generations of players and communities that sustained the sport long before professional opportunities existed.

In that sense, pairing with The Tragically Hip feels symbolic. It links the sport’s future with a cultural soundtrack that has accompanied so many Canadian hockey journeys—on frozen ponds, in Olympic locker rooms, and now in PWHL arenas.

As Toronto Sceptres players Lauren Messier and Allie Munroe (from left to right in picture at top) said about The Tragically Hip in an IG vid from January, “They’re Canadian icons. So, everyone, got get your sweaters, go get your merch.”

Visit The Tragically Hip page on the PWHL Shop to get your gear now!

Headline photo: Elle Marie

Hefford Olympic photo: Courtesy of Hockey Canada