National Hockey League breaks new campaign
By Adnews Staff
The National Hockey League, in collaboration with CBC, RDS and Versus, has begun a national advertising campaign promoting the upcoming 2011 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic outdoor hockey game. The 30-second commercial depicts an empty hockey rink on a frozen pond after a game while actor Gordon Pinsent recites lines from the Heinz Ross poem "Alive In All We Are" in voiceover. "This campaign is designed to capture the emotional connection that exists between Canada and the game of hockey," said Brian Jennings, the league's executive vice-president of marketing. "Canada is hockey and hockey is Canada. The images of a frozen neighborhood pond and the words of this poem illustrate the timeless tradition of playing hockey outdoors that is part of so many childhoods for Canadian fans and NHL players alike." The English version of the commercial is running in the US and Canada on CBC, TSN, NBC, Versus and NHL Network, while the French version is running on RDS. The ad will also run on regional sports networks, in-arenas, on NHL.com and on various social media services through the broadcast of the game on Feb. 20. The campaign also includes print, radio, digital and point-of-sale advertising. The campaign was developed by Young & Rubicam.