Renaud Lavoie of RDS reported the NHL told Bruins LW Shawn Thornton "he can't wear his Red Sox cap anymore when he's doing TV interviews." Thornton during his press availability last Tuesday was wearing the cap (TWITTER.com, 6/9). NESN.com’s Ryan Tepperman noted before the NHL Playoffs began, the league “handed out official Stanley Cup gear to players on every team that made the postseason.” But during recent interviews, Thornton and Bruins RW Michael Ryder and C Chris Kelly “opted to wear Red Sox hats instead -- apparently to the league's staunch disapproval” (NESN.com, 6/10). NHL Senior Dir of Media Relations John Dellapina: “We'd prefer that our players wear only NHL and licensed merchandise at our events. The revenue from sale of both is split between the clubs and players." YAHOO SPORTS’ Greg Wyshynski noted the NHL “generally discourages players from wearing ball caps during Media Day because it obscures their faces on TV” (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 6/10).
A WHALE OF A TALE: In Toronto, Kenneth Kidd noted the Vancouver Aquarium is “hoping to build part of its fundraising efforts around a killer whale named ‘Stanley,’ who’s been hailed as something of a good luck charm for the Canucks.” The aquarium is located “in the heart of Stanley Park,” and the money raised “helps cover the cost of research expeditions.” The Canucks winning the Stanley Cup Final “would certainly boost Stanley the whale’s marketing appeal.” Meanwhile, it would be a “challenge" to find a "piece of public statuary that hasn’t been outfitted to look like a Canucks super fan” in Vancouver. Kidd wrote, “Even the statues of nurses that grace the exterior of Cathedral Place across from the Hotel Vancouver have Canuck flags hung around their necks like bibs” (TORONTO STAR, 6/11).
THE FUTURE'S SO BRIGHT....: Illinois-based sunglasses maker Maui Jim has signed top 10 tennis players Mardy Fish and Gael Monfils to endorsement contracts. The contracts are for one year. Fish is signed just for the U.S.; Monfils, a French player, is signed for activation predominately in Europe. Maui Jim is planning to announce the deals today. The players do not have to wear the sunglasses in competition. As of last week, Monfils was ranked No. 8 in the world; Fish was ranked No. 9 (Daniel Kaplan, SportsBusiness Journal).
TEBOW TIME! In Jacksonville, Michael DiRocco wrote although QB Tim Tebow is “still battling for the starting job with the Denver Broncos in the locked-out NFL, Tebow's celebrity continues to rise,” as “Tebow mania is bigger than ever.” The Davie Brown Index reported that Tebow is “as well-known among U.S. consumers as Dick Vitale, Joe Paterno and Eric Clapton.” Tebow ranks 594th in the endorsement attribute, and “celebrities around that ranking include Dan Marino, Jack Nicholson, Derek Jeter, Tim Duncan and Cal Ripken.” Marketing Evaluations Exec VP Henry Schafer noted that Tebow “doesn't have to win Super Bowls,” but if he “becomes a starter he has the chance to become a marketing gold mine” (FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 6/12).
