Official retail fuel of League in Canada launches playoff campaign with Esso brand
The National Hockey League (NHL®) and Imperial Oil (Imperial), today announced a multiyear agreement naming Imperial, the Official Retail Fuel of the NHL in Canada.
The partnership, including a national campaign featuring Imperial's Esso brand -- in which Imperial collaborated with Hockey Canada -- launched today across Canada in conjunction with the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The campaign celebrates hockey at all levels played in communities across Canada. Imperial's television and digital feature, "How Far Will You Go?", a key component of the campaign, captures the story of a young player's journey from first taking to the ice to coaching the next generation. The vignette has just launched across Canada on television, in select movie theatres and in-arena at Stanley Cup Playoff games.
"Imperial is thrilled Esso is the official retail fuel of the NHL in Canada and we continue - as we have for many, many years - to recognize hockey's significant place in the hearts and minds of Canadians," said Jon Wetmore, Imperial's Vice-President Downstream. "We share the NHL's commitment to building healthy and vibrant communities through the sport of hockey - values held dearly by both the NHL and Imperial."
"Our goal at the NHL is to introduce the game of hockey to the broadest possible audience and drive deeper engagement with our fans, especially during the Stanley Cup Playoffs - the most exciting and unpredictable time in sports," said Kyle McMann, NHL Group Vice President of Business Development. "Imperial and its Esso brand have been synonymous with Canadian hockey culture for decades, and we look forward to collaborating on new opportunities to further the growth of hockey at all levels."
In addition to the national campaign, the partnership will feature a pair of social media contests during the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Fans will have a chance to win one of two trips for four to a game during the 2019 Stanley Cup Final and one of three trips for two to the 2019 NHL Awards in Las Vegas. Contest details will be available at facebook.com/EssoCanada.
Imperial will leverage the partnership to showcase its Esso brand through on-site activations at the 2019 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic™ - the NHL's premier signature Canadian event featuring the Calgary Flames and Winnipeg Jets at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Sask., on October 26, 2019. The agreement also includes other consumer-focused activations throughout the NHL's regular season and in-broadcast and NHL.com media buys.
Imperial, a sponsor for the World Cup of Hockey 2016, is also a partner of the NHL's seven Canadian Clubs and Hockey Canada. Imperial's commitment to youth/community hockey is demonstrated by a record 20,000 minor hockey teams participating in Hockey Canada's Esso Medals of Achievement program and upwards of 10 million Certificates of Participation being awarded to young boys and girls all across Canada.