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Swedish goalies to wear shampoo bottle pads at Karjala Cup (Photos)

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Head & Shoulders

It’s only a matter of time before ads appear on NHL hockey jerseys like they do over in Europe. In fact, the Swedes are getting even further ahead of the game by slapping ads on their goalie pads.

As part of an agreement with Head and Shoulders — a favorite of Henrik Lundqvist’s — the goaltenders for the Swedish national team will wear pads featuring the shampoo bottles during all competitions this season except for the Olympics and World Championships.

HS2

Head & Shoulders

“No, it’s just a sticker on my regular leg protection. [You] don’t even notice it’s on,” said Jhonas Enroth via Aftonbladet. Along with Enroth, Magnus Hellberg and Linus Söderström will also be donning the shampoo pads when Sweden opens up the Karjala Cup Wednesday against the Czech Republic

While the unique looking pads don’t bother Enroth, one former Swedish netminder isn’t too pleased with what he sees.

“Three Crowns are the people’s team. Focus on the Three Crowns on the chest. Now the focus is on something else, [like] everyone who has dandruff,” said goaltender-turned-broadcaster Mikael Tellqvist. “If you have to advertise on the national [team uniform], I think there should be something that is genuine and that feels serious in some way.”

“You should hope that [Swedish Hockey Federation] get well paid and that the money goes for a good purpose, like hockey or youth hockey.”

We’ve seen how much ads have been creeping into the game over the last decade. From ads on the ice to virtual ads on the glass, there’s no stopping them. The NHL and leagues will find new ways to generate revenue. So if you’re someone who’s against ads on jerseys, would you be fine with something like this on player equipment?

Stick-tap Aftonbladet

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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.