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/

Hockey is for Everyone

What a month for youth hockey players and the National Hockey League! Whoever still thinks that the NHL needs to make a comeback from recent years, well, this is exactly how the NHL is doing it. This month, the NHL is celebrating "Hockey is for Everyone" month, which consists of various events involving NHL clubs, players, alumni, and non-profit youth hockey programs. The main goal of "Hockey is for Everyone" is to provide support and unique programming to non-profit youth hockey organizations across North America that are committed to offering children of all backgrounds, opportunities to play hockey. Along with this, the aspect that I found most interesting is that all of these events hosted by the NHL will coincide with the celebration of Black History Month, which is also this month. NHL ambassadors Willie O'Ree, who was the first black player in the history of the NHL, and Tony McKegney, will travel throughout North America to promote the initiative and be a part of most of these events. Here are just a few of the events taking place this month.

Feb. 4, Washington -- The Washington Capitals' Donald Brashear and Nicklas Backstrom and Los Angeles Kings' Wayne Simmonds join Willie O'Ree to skate with kids from the Fort Dupont Ice Hockey Club, the oldest minority youth hockey program in the U.S.

Feb. 9, New York -- Los Angeles Kings forward Wayne Simmonds hosts a meet-and-greet with kids from the Ice Hockey in Harlem diversity program.

Feb 11 & 12, Nashville -- The Nashville Predators host a two-day "Hockey is for Everyone" fan-fest with forward Joel Ward and O'Ree both visit with students from Vanderbilt University.

Feb 13-15, Chicago -- The Chicago Blackhawks celebrate USA Hockey Weekend Across America with Amateur Hockey Association of Illinois (AHAI). Events include free open skate and sled hockey games at local rinks.

Feb 27-28, Calgary -- O'Ree and McKegney participate in the HEROS diversity program Friendship Tournament.

To me, by hosting all of these events, the NHL and the teams that reside in it have found a great way to not only build their brand image, but also give back to communities around the U.S. Also, by hosting events like this and teaching youth players how to play and respect the game, hockey in general has a great opportunity to grow. With this, and as a die hard hockey fan, it is pretty amazing to know that since its inception, "Hockey is for Everyone" has exposed more that 45,000 boys and girls to unique hockey experiences. Experiences like the ones listed above and in the article will not only stay with these kids, but it will also make them love the game and become involved with it for the rest of their lives. That is exactly what the NHL and the game of hockey are looking for.


See more of the events at...

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=407364

HEY HEY HOCKEYTOWN!

Yes, the Wings marketers are at it again. Another hott ticket package deal is in affect for all you Wing Nuts out there. There is a new promotion going on right now called the "Detroit Red Wings Family Pack," which includes two tickets to any Wings' game, two dogs, and two sodas, all for just $44. Not bad to watch your defending Stanley Cup champs play huh?

For those of you who are not Wing Nuts, the Wings' franchise constantly provides ticket deals to Wings' fans in order to promote their brand image and bring as many fans to their games as possible. Along with the "Detroit Red Wings Family Pack", this year, the Wings have also featured ticket packages called "Homer For The Holidays," which was named after Wing's left wing, Tomas Holmstrom, and the "Hockey Lovers Package." The "Homer For The Holidays" package, which started during the "holiday months" and is still going on, includes tickets to 3 Wings' games of your choice, 3 food vouchers, and a Red Wings knit hat, all for just $96 per person. The "Hockey Lovers Package" consists of your choice of 4 Wings' games, tickets to the GLI (Great Lakes Invitational) or CCHA Champoinship, tickets to the U of M vs. MSU game, $20 in concession money, and a Detroit Red Wings lanyard for only $186 per seat. But it dosent stop there! This year the Wings have also provided there fans with giveaways at specific Wings' games. For, example, all fans in attendance at the Wings' game versus Minnesota on February 12 will receive a 2008-09 Detroit Red Wings Winter Classic team poster, sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield. On February 18th's game against Nashville, the first 3,000 kids in attendance will receive a free Red Wing's knit hat, sponsored by FOX 2 Detroit. What a way to build a brand huh? Now get out there and take advantage of some of those deals!

Details for packages at...
http://redwings.nhl.com/

Zetterburg: A Wing For Life

It's official! On Wednesday, the Detroit Red Wing's announced that the Wing's assistant captain, Henrik Zetterberg, will be with the franchise for the rest of his career. The 28 year old Sweden native signed a 12-year contract extension worth $72 million on Tuesday, which will allow him to stay with the club through his 40th birthday and the 2020-21 season. However, the thing that interested me the most was that, Zetterberg's contract was the most lucrative contract in the history of the Wing's franchise. You would think with players like Steve Yzerman and Gordie Howe that the Wing's would have signed them for more money and for a longer period of time being that they were two of the greatest who ever stepped on the ice. The Wing's franchise seems to be overly happy about the deal and with Zetterberg's preformance on the ice. In his sixth season with the Wing's, Zetterberg has 17 goals and 43 points in just 45 games. Wing's General Manager, Ken Holland, stated that, "He's a guy we want to build around. He always plays at both ends of the rink and goes to all the hard areas. He gives us flexibility and is a leader, a guy who, when Nick Lidstrom retires, is certainly someone we'll have to consider as the next captain for the Red Wings." Along with Zetterberg, Holland is also trying to lock in contract deals with either Marion Hossa or Johan Franzen, which are both impending unrestricted free agents. If Holland could get Hossa to stay and with the help of Zetterberg's new contract, the Wing's long-term star power would increase enormously.

Read the story at...

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=406630

Reebok's Sleek Innovation Debuts at All-Star Game.

On Tuesday, Reebok and the NHL announced the official debut of the new and improved NHL All-Star referee and linesman jerseys, which will be used at this years historic NHL All-Star Game. However, these jerseys are not your average sports officials jersey. Unlike the regular NHL referee and linesman jersey, Reebok has used its product innovation technologies to construct a jersey that is 18% lighter in weight and is customized to fit the specific needs of the officials. With this, there are a few unique features that make this customized jersey much different from the current officials jerseys. These features include stretch mesh in the underarm and back of the jersey, a zipper-less neckline, numbers on the back and on the sleeves, and an enhanced referee arm bar designed to allow for greater on-ice visibility. The uniforms also include a microphone channel that allows the officials to maneuver seamlessly across the ice with their microphones securely fastened. According to Stephen Walkom, NHL Senior Vice President and Director of Officiating, "The uniforms were designed to offer a lighter and more comfortable fit, which provides officials with and increased range of motion and better moisture management." But do you think the NHL and Reebok stopped there? Of Course not.

Along with the introduction of the new and improved officials jerseys, the jerseys that will be worn by the Eastern and Western conference teams have also been refurbished. The All-Star jerseys include Reebok's patent-pending Smoothfit™ performance name and number technology, which eliminates 35% of the weight inherent to traditional name and numbering systems. This new technology allows for players to move more competently on the ice and also contributes to enhanced moisture management. However, the aspect that I found most interesting about the players jerseys is that they pay a tribute to the history of the game through the use of color and symbolic references. The Montreal Canadians colors (red, white, and blue) are present in both the East and West uniforms symbolizing the celebration of the organizations 100th anniversary. Also, the three stars etched on the sleeves represent the three most recent NHL All-Star games held in Montreal. According to Keith Leach, Director of NHL Merchandising, Reebok, "The uniform is a deliberate break from traditional hockey uniform patterning and symbolizes the revolutionary advances the sport has made in both technology and popularity." He also proposed that, "The asymmetric cut lines are meant to create visual motion in the uniform, which is both a literal reference to the speed of the game and symbolic reference to its evolution into the future."

Reebok has truly provided itself with a sufficient marketing image by innovating these products for an event this size. With the introduction of these new and improved products, Reebok will now have the opportunity to potentially compete in new markets ( Ex. innovating umpire uniforms/baseball jerseys, football officials uniforms/football jerseys, etc...), which could then help them gain a competitive advantage.

Check Reebok's jerseys out at...
http://www.nhl.com/

2009 NHL AllStar Game, Players, Price, and Promotion

Yes, yet again, Alexander "The Great" Ovechkin has been selected to play in the NHL All-Star Game for the third time in his four years of playing in the NHL. The 23 year old Washington Capital assistant captain will try to lead his Eastern Conference team to victory as they take on the Detroit Red Wing's, Pavel Datsyuk, and the Western Conference. He will not only try to lead his team to victory, but will also try to defend his Breakaway Challenge title in the All-Star SuperSkills Competition. Last year, heads turned and jaws dropped as Ovi dribbled the puck like a basketball on the end of his stick, smacked it high in the air, spun around while the puck came down and took a mighty baseball swing, which won him the 2008 Breakaway Challenge. WHAT A MOVE Eh? Aside from the Stanley Cup finals, the All-Star SuperSkills Competition and the All-Star Game are the biggest and most popular events in the NHL season.

Even though these two events are highly entertaining to the hockey world, think about theses events from a marketing point of view. Promotion and price are key here. Honda will be sponsoring the 2009 Honda/NHL All-Star SuperSkills Competition giving them an excellent opportunity to promote their brand name and image. However, the kicker is that within the SuperSkills Competition there will six events all sponsored by a different company or organization. The events consist of the Bridgestone NHL Fastest Skater, the Scotiabank Fan Fav Breakaway Challenge, the Upper Deck NHL YoungStars Game, the McDonald's Accuracy Shooting Competition, the Cisco Hardest Shot Challenge, and the Gatorade NHL Shootout Elimination Challenge. Wow, alot of promoting going on huh? But get this! This year fans will be the judge of the Scotiabank Fan Fav Breakaway Challenge by voting on there favorite breakaway move via text message through companies like Varizon, Sprint, AT&T, and T-Mobile. Can you say "MORE PROMOTION?" Now lets take a look at how price influences these two events. A ticket to a regular NHL season game can range from 30-90 dollars depending on the seat, venue, and team's playing, but a 90 dollar seat is totally unheard of to get into these two events. As of right now and according to ticketsnow.com, tickets are ranging from $370-$3210. I know, pretty outrageous huh and your probably asking yourself why? Being that these two events feature all of the superstars from around the league, prices are high because the demand to see these stars play is high while the supply of tickets is low making it easy to sell tickets to hockey fans at outrageous prices. Watching it on T.V. sounds good to me! These are just a few examples to get you thinking about how one event can effect the marketing and economic factors in sports.

Read the story at...

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=403814