The Predators, Devils, and Capitals Are The First NHL Teams To Partake In New Helmet Sponsorships
The Nashville Predators, the New Jersey Devils, and the Washington Capitals are the first National Hockey League (NHL) franchises to partake in the upcoming season’s new helmet sponsorships.
All three teams partnered with their arena naming rights partners: the Predators with Bridgestone, the Devils with Prudential, and the Capitals with Capital One.
An NHL executive told The Sports Network that the teams are not considering the helmet sponsorships as “newfound money” but instead giving existing partners access to more revenue streams while most all games remain without fans for a shortened 56-game season.
“Of course, the teams are in a big hole,” stated Nashville chief revenue officer Chris Junghans after the team announced its deal with Bridgestone. “So, they’re looking for valuable, real valuable, tangible assets that will help us, guys like me, make partners whole. And it needed to be valuable, it needed to be dynamic.”
The new campaign allows teams to display a 2.25-by-3.75 inch brand logo on each side of a player’s helmet. All teams are being given the opportunity to find helmet sponsors for the 2020–2021 season.
“This is very unobtrusive, and that’s something that we took into account as we were looking at this,” stated Devils president Jake Reynolds, who boasted about being the first NHL team to find a helmet sponsor in Prudential. “We wanted this to have a natural fit and a natural look to it, and we wanted to make sure we did this the right way.”
While the deal’s financial terms have not yet been disclosed, TSN reports the NHL is hoping to bring in $15 million from helmet sponsorships, with some of the top teams locking in deals worth $1 million.
The hope is helmet sponsorships will represent a lucrative new revenue stream for NHL teams beyond the immediate campaign. The Chicago-based analytics firm Navigate estimates deals could be worth $2.5 million for an average team.
While all teams want fans back in the arenas, they need to find innovative ways to both retain and continue to drive revenue for the immediate future. The league continues to be progressive in its mindset, considering a variety of potential options.
- *UPDATE: Below is the list of teams who both announced or displayed their new helmet sponsors during training camp
- Arizona Coyotes: Home-Mountain American and Away-Dignity Health
- Boston Bruins-TD Bank
- Calgary Flames: Scotiabank
- Columbus Blue Jackets: Home-Ohio Health and Away-Nationwide
- Dallas Stars: AT&T
- Detroit Red Wings: United Wholesale Mortgage
- Edmonton Oilers: no official announcement; players wearing Rogers logo at training camp
- Florida Panthers: Game Helmets-Ford and Practices-Baptist Health
- Montreal Canadiens: Bell
- New York Rangers: no official announcement; players wearing Northwell Health logo at practice
- Pittsburg Penguins: PPG Paints
- St. Louis Blues: Home-Stifel and Away-Enterprise
- Toronto Maple Leafs-Scotiabank
- Winnipeg Jets: no official announcement; players wearing Bell logo at practice
