FEDEX CLOSE TO DELIVERING TW0-YEAR NHL SPONSORSHIP

          FedEx is "close to signing a two-year sponsorship
     agreement with the NHL that would make it the league's
     official overnight carrier," according to Terry Lefton of
     BRANDWEEK.  Sources "pegged the deal in the low seven
     figures," and the deal will likely include a "media
     commitment" to Fox/ABC/ESPN's NHL coverage.  Lefton reports
     that the deal adds to FedEx's "array of sports sponsorships"
     which include the entitlement to the Orange Bowl and CART.
     It also marks the NHL's first within the "competitive,
     sports-heavy category."  Lefton: "The nature of NHL hockey
     gives FedEx an ideal creative platform to promulgate its
     message of speed and performance."  BBDO, NY, hopes to use
     Sergei Fedorov and other Red Wings in a spot already "in the
     works," which would "illustrate what happens when the
     Stanley Cup is not shipped via FedEx" (BRANDWEEK, 9/22).