Youth Hockey Team Owner Threatens to Suspend 10-Year-Old Players After Their Parents Make Custom Merchandise
Youth Hockey Team Owner Threatens to Suspend 10-Year-Old Players After Their Parents Make Custom Merchandise
Anna Lazarus CaplanWed, October 7, 2026 at 8:53 PM UTC
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Credit: Marcia Straub / Getty Images -
The owner of a youth hockey team threatened to suspend players after parents used the team’s trademark without authorization
Bobby Reiss called the unsanctioned outerwear an “egregious violation”
Reiss later recanted his threats to suspend the athletes or recoup money from the parents
The owner of a youth hockey team in New Jersey is getting blowback for threatening to suspend players and trying to recoup money from their parents after a group of mothers made team jackets that weren’t approved by the organization.
In a message to Jersey Hitmen 10U team parents, owner Bobby Reiss called the unsanctioned outerwear an infringement of the players’ agreements and the “most egregious violation in most recent memory.”
In the email, Reiss said the Hitmen logo and trademark was used without permission, according to team contracts.
Reiss, who owns the Ice Vault Arena in Wayne, N.J. and more than 20 youth hockey teams that use the facility, told parents that the offending young athletes would be suspended until their parents paid a 15% royalty restitution to the organization.
“These trademarks are federally registered and any transgressions over the years have been dealt with by our law firm,” Reiss wrote in the email. “All of you know that we have the most comprehensive team apparel of any youth organization in the country. We take great pride in what we produce and are very protective of our rights.”
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After his email went viral on Tuesday, Oct. 6, Reiss is now walking back the contents of his missive, saying that the communication was meant “to get the attention of parents.”
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“We had no intent of not letting the kids practice,” he told NJ.com, and acknowledged that no players were suspended for Tuesday night’s practice.
He continued, “All I want people to do is respect the boundaries that you agreed to. We provide a service, they partake of the service, but within that service, there are restrictions.”
PEOPLE has reached out to Reiss for comment.
on People
Source: “AOL Sports”
