Labatt Breweries of Canada Announces Official Partnership with the NHL

Canadian Deal Names Budweiser an Official Beer of the NHL and Mike’s Hard an Official Hard Drink of the NHL in Canada

TORONTO, Dec. 17, 2019 /CNW/ – Labatt Breweries of Canada and the National Hockey League (NHL) today announced a multiyear partnership, naming Budweiser an Official Beer of the NHL in Canada.

The new partnership is inclusive of all marquee NHL events including the NHL Winter Classic®, NHL® All-Star Weekend, Stanley Cup® Playoffs and Stanley Cup® Final. Additionally, the agreement includes the Ready-To-Drink Beverages (RTD) Category, with Mike’s 0g HARDer Sparkling Water becoming an Official Hard Drink of the NHL.

“In Canada, Budweiser has supported hockey and its fans for years and we’re excited and honoured to take our love for the game to the next level as an official partner of the NHL,” said Todd Allen, VP Marketing, Labatt Breweries of Canada. “To continue to elevate the fan experience, we’re also bringing along the newest addition to our roster, Mike’s 0g HARDer Sparkling Water, and we’re eager for hockey fans to learn more about the brand.”

“We’re thrilled to announce our new partnership with Labatt Breweries and their tremendous portfolio of beverages, most notably Budweiser – an iconic global brand embraced by hockey fans across Canada,” said Kyle McMann, Senior Vice President, North American Business Development & Global Partnerships, NHL. “Our partnership with Labatt presents a tremendous opportunity to amplify our engagement with NHL fans through Budweiser’s impressive, award-winning creative campaigns that celebrate our sport while shining a spotlight on the spirit of hockey fandom.”

The new deal is part of a broader North American partnership between Anheuser-Busch and the NHL, which includes Bud Light becoming an Official Beer of the NHL in the U.S. As part of the deal, Bud Light and Budweiser Canada will have the ability to create content and activate throughout the season at NHL marquee events, including the NHL Winter Classic®, NHL® All-Star Weekend, NHL Stadium Series™, Stanley Cup® Playoffs, Stanley Cup® Final, NHL Awards™ and NHL Draft™.

Both Anheuser-Busch and Labatt have a proud and longstanding history with the NHL, highlighted by local partnerships with 24 NHL Clubs including the Anaheim Ducks, Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Calgary Flames, Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, St. Louis Blues, Tampa Bay Lightning, Vancouver Canucks, Vegas Golden Knights, Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets.

For more information, be sure to follow @BudweiserCanada on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook and Mike’s 0g HARDer Sparkling Water on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

NHL, the NHL Shield, the word mark and image of the Stanley Cup and the word mark NHL Winter Classic are registered trademarks and the NHL Winter Classic logo, NHL Stadium Series name and logo, NHL Awards and NHL Draft are trademarks of the National Hockey League.  NHL and NHL team marks are the property of the NHL and its teams. © NHL 2019.  All Rights Reserved.

About Labatt Breweries of Canada
Labatt Breweries of Canada, one of Canada’s oldest companies, has been a leading national brewer for more than 170 years. Founded in London, Ontario in 1847, Labatt has six breweries from Newfoundland to British Columbia, and employs 3,500 skilled professionals and craftspeople.  Labatt’s portfolio of more than 60 quality beers is unmatched in breadth and quality. Regional favourites include Alexander Keith’s, Kokanee, and Labatt Blue. As part of the Anheuser-Busch InBev family, Labatt also offers consumers globally-renowned beers such as Stella Artois, Budweiser, Bud Light, Corona and Goose Island.  Labatt is also a significant player in the craft beer market through Stanley Park Brewing in British Columbia, Toronto’s Mill Street, and Archibald Microbrasserie in Quebec, and in the ready-to-drink segment with Palm Bay, Mike’s Hard Lemonade and Okanagan Cider.

ABOUT THE NHL:
The National Hockey League (NHL®), founded in 1917, consists of 31 Member Clubs and proudly welcomes its 32nd franchise, based in Seattle, for the 2021-22 season. Each team roster reflects the League’s international makeup with players from more than 20 countries represented, all vying for the most cherished and historic trophy in professional sports – the Stanley Cup®. Gary Bettman has served the NHL as Commissioner since February 1, 1993 and has guided the world’s top professional hockey league to more than $5 billion in annual revenues and partnerships with more than 40 blue chip corporate sponsors. Every year, the NHL entertains more than 670 million fans in-arena and through its partners on national television and radio; more than 151 million followers – league, team and player accounts combined – across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube; and more than 100 million fans online at NHL.com. The League broadcasts games in more than 160 countries and territories through its rightsholders including NBC/NBCSN and the NHL Network™ in the U.S., Sportsnet and TVA in Canada, Viasat in the Nordic Region, Yandex in Russia and CCTV and Tencent in China. The NHL reaches fans worldwide with games available online in every country including via its live and on-demand streaming service NHL.TV™. Having entered the esports world in 2018, the League hosts the NHL Gaming World Championship™ annually, drawing record digital streaming audiences during the 2019 campaign. Fans are engaged across the League’s digital assets on mobile devices via the free NHL® App; across nine social media platforms; on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio™; and on NHL.com, available in eight languages and featuring unprecedented access to player and team statistics as well as every regular-season and playoff game box score dating back to the League’s inception, powered by SAP. The NHL is committed to building healthy and vibrant communities through the sport of hockey by increasing youth participation and engagement; fostering positive family experiences; promoting inclusion, positive culture and leadership; and supporting sustainable community impact.

SOURCE Labatt Breweries of Canada