Ice Driving: NHL Signs Bridgestone Firestone As Official Tire

By Tripp Mickle, Staff Writer, SportsBusiness Journal

The NHL Thursday announced a new partnership with Bridgestone Firestone, giving the league its first official tire sponsor in a two-year deal sources valued in the eight-figures. The deal includes intellectual property rights, advertising spots on NHL Network and NHL.com, and dasherboard and on-ice displays during the NHL All-Star game, int'l games and a second outdoor game should it occur. Bridgestone also agreed to offer advertising support to league games aired on Versus and NBC. “Bridgestone is the number one brand in tires globally,” said NHL Senior VP/Corporate Sales & Marketing Keith Wachtel. “Aligning ourselves with a leader in that realm helps us as the league builds its international business, which is something they want to take an advantage of. We think it’s a great play for both of us.” With the deal, the NHL has doubled it sponsorship revenue in six months. It also added Ticketmaster and Scotiabank to its roster of sponsors this year.