NHL teams begin to unveil advertisements on helmets
There will be advertisements on NHL players' helmets this season as teams try to recoup revenue lost to the pandemic.
The New Jersey Devils, Washington Capitals and Nashville Predators became the first teams to unveil helmet ads Tuesday. It's a one-year trial with fans not allowed in most arenas and a financial shortfall coming with a shortened 56-game regular season.
“Of course, the teams are in a big hole,” Nashville chief revenue officer Chris Junghans said 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 NHL is leaving jerseys alone, largely because it was quicker and easier to sell ads on helmets than anything else. Commissioner Gary Bettman said in 2017 after the NBA approved jersey advertisements that it would take an “unusual circumstance" to make that leap in hockey.
This would qualify, though helmets were a natural first step.
“This is very unobtrusive, and that’s something that we took into account as we were looking at this,” said 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.”
There will be advertisements on NHL players' helmets this season as teams try to recoup revenue lost to the pandemic.
The New Jersey Devils, Washington Capitals and Nashville Predators became the first teams to unveil helmet ads Tuesday. It's a one-year trial with fans not allowed in most arenas and a financial shortfall coming with a shortened 56-game regular season.
“Of course, the teams are in a big hole,” Nashville chief revenue officer Chris Junghans said 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 NHL is leaving jerseys alone, largely because it was quicker and easier to sell ads on helmets than anything else. Commissioner Gary Bettman said in 2017 after the NBA approved jersey advertisements that it would take an “unusual circumstance" to make that leap in hockey.
This would qualify, though helmets were a natural first step.
“This is very unobtrusive, and that’s something that we took into account as we were looking at this,” said 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.”
