Its the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.

Hey there hockey fans! It's that time of year again. Yes that's right. The 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs are under way and each series has one game in already. However, being that I am a Detroit Red Wings fan, I have been following the series between them and the Columbus Blue Jackets and came across an interesting article dealing with the broadcasting of their games. It has been said that for the first time, the NHL Network U.S. will broadcast Game 2 of the 2009 Western Conference Quarter-Final between the Jackets and the Wings live in HD from Detroit on Saturday, April 18 at 6 p.m. ET. Yet again, another way to market their brand Eh! Along with the NHL Network U.S., the game will appear on Verses as well. Also, Fox Sports Detroit and Fox Sports Ohio will broadcast the game locally. So, tune into all of the playoff action whether it be on T.V. or online at NHL.com and watch all of the brutal hits and outstanding goals that all of us hockey fans live for. oh and LETS GO RED WINGS!

For playoff highlights go to...

http://www.nhl.com/

For more on this article go to...

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=418672

Star Power Increases for the Wings

Hey there hockey fans! Well, it has been another exciting couple days for the Detroit Red Wing's franchise as their star power has been continuing to increase dramatically across the entire organization. Yesterday, Red Wing's forward, Pavel Datsyuk, and Red Wing's defenseman, Nicklas Lidstrom were crowned player of the year and defenseman of the year for their outstanding accomplishments this season. Datsyuk has led the team in points with 32 goals and 65 assists for 97 points and is 4th in the NHL overall. Lidstrom has had 16 goals and 43 assists for 59 points and is 3rd in the NHL overall for defenseman. Also, Datsyuk is a finalist for the Hart Memorial Trophy (MVP) and the Selke Trophy (foward who demonstrates the most skill in the defensive component of the game) for his outstanding contributions as both a forward and a defenseman. However, in bigger news, Ken Holland ( Wing's General Manager) announced this morning that the club has signed forward Johan Franzen to an 11 year contract, which constitutes as the second longest deal in club history. To me, it was very crucial for the Wings to acquire Franzen because he has been a significant asset to the team this year with 34 goals and 25 assist for 59 points overall. Also, Franzen was in the spotlight last month scoring 14 goals and adding 4 assists in just 13 games. Ken Holland also agreed by stating "We are thrilled that Johan will remain a member of the Detroit Red Wings. His production over the past year and a half, both regular season and playoffs, has been remarkable and we feel, at 29 years old, that he is just now entering the prime of his career. We look forward to having him as a part of our core unit in Detroit moving forward." So as as you can see, the wings players, coaches, and corporate executives have been doing great things to increase the star power of the entire organization.

Read up on the latest at...
http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=417738
http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=417738

Passion? Yes! Staged celebrations? No!

Hey there hockey fans! Within the last few weeks there has been a huge up roar about the amount of celebration that Alexander Ovechkin is exhibiting after scoring goals. As many of you may know Ovi does his moves around his opponents with his tongue hanging out, does the fist pump and points to the sky after most of his goals, and even jumps into the glass. So to say the least, he is known for his big celebrations. However, he has acquired a new celebratory move, which has left critics in aw. After he scored his 50th goal of the season in a game against Tampa Bay he celebrated by dropping his stick on the ice and acting like it was too hott to handle. Critics are now saying that the execution was a little to much and Ovi's celebrations are becoming staged. I mean come on! The guy has been the leading scorer in the league and the #1 point leader for the last two seasons. This is no different than using the football as a telephone. I think he deserves a little credit don't you? After his hott stick celebration, Ovi was asked in a press conference about why he exerts so much emotion and intensity after his goals. He stated, "It's good for our League, it's good for our fans. Some players are just like robots. They score goals and it's like OK, no emotion, nothing, they basically go 'OK.' You have to show emotion if you're an emotional guy -- show it." Also, when he was interviewed right after the hott stick celebration and was asked about the celebratory move he said, "If you win the lottery -- a million dollars -- you go to the bar and drink a lot. I scored 50 goals and I just celebrated." Finally, I wouldn't go to say that Ovi doesn't showboat a bit after his goals, but I will say that he has a very significant way of building his brand and maintaining his fan creditability. What do you think?

Check out the HOTT STICK at...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ak8Jf-EEoE

Read the story at...
http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=415479

NHL Goes Digital to Celebrate Brodeur's Record

Hey there hockey fans! As many of you may already know and for those of you who don't, New Jersey Devil's goaltender, Martin Brodeur, has recently been crowned the goaltender with the most career victories in NHL history with 552. So, for this outstanding record-setting performance, the NHL has launched a digital celebration and have invited fans from around the nation to join Brodeur in his astonishing accomplishment. During this celebration, NHL.com and NHL Mobile™ have been providing fans with wall-to-wall coverage of Brodeur’s historic achievement, which include:

• Reporting and video from the record-setting win over Chicago
• League-wide reaction from teammates, opponents and fans and others
• Exclusive video retrospectives on Brodeur’s career
• A Brodeur visit to The Hockey Show
• Shop Marty: Shop.NHL.com has the biggest selection of Martin Brodeur merchandise, including new products to commemorate his historic achievement

Along with this, the NHL has been inviting fans to e-mail a congratulatory note or favorite memory of Brodeur to CongratsMarty@NHL.com. NHL.com editors have then been sharing the top entries with Brodeur and the best notes are being displayed on www.NHL.com/brodeur. Also, fans participating in the celebration have been encouraged to visit the NHL's YouTube site (www.youtube.com/NHL) and submit their own video or text message to Brodeur as well as post messages to Twitter.

To tie this all together and looking at this from a marketing prospective, I found a quote from
Andre Mika, who is the NHL Senior Vice President and Executive in Charge of Programming and New Media, which I thought was very significant. He stated, "Not only will fans be able to respond to the breaking of the record, we are enabling a social media event around one of the greatest players in NHL history." This is just another great example of how the NHL is making a fan connection through social media and building their brand image through star power.

Get in on the celebration at...
http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=414266

The "Dominator" of Fan Involvement

Hey there hockey fans! As many of you may know, last month was not only Black History Month but was also Hockey is for Everyone month where many fun-filled events were put on for youth hockey organizations around the U.S. by NHL teams, players, and coaches. Well, it seems to be continuing this month as Hasek's Heroes is teaming up with Hockey is for Everyone Ambassador, Willie O'Ree, to host the 1st Annual Hasek's Heroes Willie O'Ree Skills Showcase Weekend, which will be held on March 20-22 at HSBC Arena in Buffalo, N.Y. This event will bring together 28 boys and girls ages 13-16 from 11 youth hockey organizations and will be sponsored by the NHL and the Buffalo Sabres. Now, you might be wondering what Hasek's Heroes is, as did I. Hasek's Heroes is an organization that was founded by NHL legend Dominik Hasek, which provides a foundation of athletic development and educational support, enabling children from low- to moderate-income families to achieve their life goals. In general, it is an organization aimed toward giving underprivileged children the opportunity to play hockey and to become part of a team. So, the 1st Annual Hasek's Heroes Willie O'Ree Skills Showcase Weekend will provide these 28 boys and girls with a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the NHL and an insightful guide into the hockey world as well as enhancing their skills through on-ice drills and on-ice clinics conducted by NHL alumni (O'Ree and Hasek). The showcase will also give its participants a cultural opportunity to meet other NHL alumni, create new friendships, and enjoy live hockey action as the Sabres take on the Philadelphia Flyers on March 20.

Above all, I thought this article was very interesting because it is just another sufficient example of how NHL players, teams, and the league itself are increasing their fan involvement and building a sufficient brand image.

Read the inside story at...

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=414360

Chicago Blackhawks: Representing Fan Loyalty

Being that the U.S. has been in the middle of an economic crisis and many sports teams, players, and fans have felt the effects first hand, the Chicago Blackhawks franchise has recognized this by freezing season-ticket prices for the 2009-2010 season. While many teams around the NHL have been increasing season ticket prices as well as regular ticket prices, the Blackhawks franchise announced yesterday that the season ticket prices for the 2009-2010 season will not change from this seasons prices simply because of their outstanding fan loyalty. Blackhawks Chairman W. Rockwell "Rocky" Wirtz said that,"Chicago Blackhawks fans are unique in that they have remained loyal to our team through many seasons of challenge, so we are acting in the best interests of our fans and our community by keeping our season ticket prices flat for the 2009-10 season." Also, Blackhawks Team President John McDonough stated that, "We want to be respectful of our fans and their allegiance to the organization with regard to the nature of today's economy as well as remaining consistent with our big picture approach as we attempt to improve all aspects of our franchise." But how is the Hawk's fan loyalty being measured? I asked myself the same question. The Hawks have hosted 30 capacity crowds in 30 home dates this season. They have also hosted 11 crowds of over 22,000 fans, which leads the NHL with an average of 22,395 fans per game. Finally, they are currently on track to surpass the all-time franchise record of 835,977 fans that attended games during the 1995-96 season. What a great marketing technique to build a brand around fan loyalty Eh?

Read the story at...
http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=413516

The Great Number 8: At it Again

Yes, he has done it again. Alexander Ovechkin has yet again proved his greatness with another outstanding goal to add to the record books. In February 18th's game against Montreal, Ovi used his backhand to bank the puck off the boards in front of the penalty boxes and get around defenseman Roman Hamrlik. He then skated through the left circle and kept powering through after being hooked off his skates by Kyle Chipchura. While sliding into the crease, Ovechkin unbelievably managed to poke the puck past the right pad of stunned goalie Carey Price for his League-best 42nd goal of the season. However, after watching this goal over and over I still don't think it was as good as the goal he had in the January 15th, 06 game against game Phoenix when Ovi was knocked down by Paul Mara, slid on his back facing away from the goal, hooked the puck with the back of his stick blade with only his right hand on the stick, and glided the puck past Brian Boucher. Even though I don't think this goal was as spectacular as his goal on January 15th, ex-Capitals head coach Glen Hanlon begs to differ as he said, "Just when I thought I have seen it all, he does something else." Bill Clement also stated that, "This was the most outstanding goal I have ever seen." As Ovechkin continues to score incredible goals like these along with the crazy goals that he has already scored, the amount of star power that he is bring to the game is incredible. Also, with these outstanding performances, his crediability is growing and more and more fans are able to connect with him and these ongoing performances. Hey, when it comes to No. 8, no one should ever think they have seen it all. There will be plenty more from the "Great Number 8" in the future.

Check these goals out...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6EJ5Iwnv9w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzbmI6-YSnQ

More info out Ovi's goals at...
http://www.nhl.com/