Key Highlights
- According to the latest post on X, Pudgy Penguins announced the collaboration with the National Hockey League (NHL) for the 2026 Discover NHL Winter Classic
- The NFT collection plans giveaways for NHL fans for the 17th edition of the game
In the latest post on X (formerly Twitter), Pudgy Penguins, a renowned non-fungible token (NFT) collection, has announced its latest collaboration with the National Hockey League (NHL) for the 2026 Discover NHL Winter Classic.
Pudgy Penguins X @NHL
We will be collaborating with the NHL for the 2026 Discover NHL Winter Classic from December to January, starting this week at Art Week Miami.
From giveaways to Pengu meeting NHL fans and more, these activations will bring Pengu into the world of the NHL. pic.twitter.com/rcnIAT6fet
— Pudgy Penguins (@pudgypenguins) December 2, 2025
This season’s game is the 17th edition of this annual tradition that began in 2008. It features a unique spectacle where NHL teams plan on an ice rink constructed in a non-traditional venue.
“From giveaways to Pengu meeting NHL fans and more, these activations will bring Pengu into the world of the NHL,” stated the official post on X.
What is Pudgy Penguins
Pudgy Penguins is the first brand to enter retail through the launch of Pudgy Toys. It is a popular Ethereum-based NFT collection of 8,888 adorable penguin avatars.
The brand first launched during the peak years for NFTs in July 2021. Entrepreneur Luca Netz then acquired and rebranded the project in April 2022. Its major achievements came in September 2023 with the debut of the Pudgy Toys line. This launch was not a small online event but a major nationwide retail partnership. The toys arrived in more than 2000 Walmart stores across the United States.
This launch of Pudgy Toys was the largest retail placement for any intellectual property originating from NFTs. The line was produced in line with the established toy company PMI toys, including plush toys, playsets, and collectibles.
Despite the major downturn in the NFT market, Pudgy Penguins’ NFT collection has managed to retain its popularity among its rival platforms like Bored Ape Yacht Club. At the time of writing, the floor price of Pudgy Penguins revolves around 5.58 Ether with the total volume of over 498.1K Ether.
NFTs and Sports: Is the NFT Market Really Dead?
NFTs have created a new multi-billion-dollar reality for sports fans. Starting around the year 2022, major sports organizations and star athletes started using blockchain technology. This NFT concept allows fans to purchase and hold verified and unique ownership of famous highlight clips, digital trading cards, and special fan rewards.
The NBA’s Top Shot platform allowed fans to buy, sell, and own video highlights as “Moments,” which was launched in 2019. Some of these became extremely popular, with a digital clip of a LeBron James dunk selling for over $387,000. To date, the platform has handled more than $4 million in sales volume.
Soccer has also joined the NFT trend. Services like Sorare offer fantasy player cards as NFTs, with a rare digital card of star player Erling Haaland. The biggest sports body, FIFA, also launched its own official collection of digital collectibles. American football joined with NFL All Day, which gives fans ownership of key plays like touchdowns and lets them use those digital assets in fantasy games.
Apart from this, official digital collections now exist for baseball, hockey, tennis, Formula One racing, and cricket. Individual athletes, including Cristiano Ronaldo and Patrick Mahomes, now release their own personal NFT lines, often combining digital art with real-world autographed items.
NFTs are no longer just digital tokens to buy and sell. They also provide some real benefits, such as access to VIP event tickets and exclusive online viewing parties.
While many believe the concept of NFT is dead, some experts argue that it has evolved beyond the 2021 hype. While 96% of collections launched in 2024 saw zero trading activity, the NFT market is still silently active.
According to DefiLIama, Opensea, the leading NFT platform, witnessed a spike in its dex aggregator volume between September and November, with a peak in October at $462 million.
