The NHL has signed a five-year North American renewal with Bridgestone, which will keep the tire maker as the title sponsor of the Winter Classic as well as the official tire of the NHL. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. In addition to the continuation of its Winter Classic deal, Bridgestone will make a significant media commitment to the NHL, including promotions across NHL media platforms and the use of league marks in the company’s national ad campaigns. Bridgestone will look to add additional local-level team partnerships across the league. The company currently has deals with approximately five teams, including the Predators, whose arena it also holds the naming rights for (Ian Thomas, Staff Writer).
FEELING PATRIOTIC: The NHL yesterday officially announced that the '16 Bridgestone Winter Classic would be held at Gillette Stadium. Commissioner Gary Bettman said that in addition to the Canadiens-Bruins game in Foxboro, the league "will be hosting" an alumni game there Dec. 31. In Massachusetts, Kevin Dillon noted the game will "feature several fan favorites on the ice" between Bruins and Canadiens alumni. Bettman also announced that there will be "an all-access show, like the 24/7 series HBO featured in years past, leading up to this year's Winter Classic." But he did not specify "which channel will host the show." Meanwhile, logos for each team "were revealed earlier in the day, but neither team's uniforms have been revealed" (MASSLIVE.com, 7/29). THE HOCKEY NEWS' Jared Clinton cited a report from TSN Radio 690 Montreal as saying that the two teams "will be facing off in classic style, donning jerseys that closely mirror those worn" in the 1924-25 season. The Bruins logo, which "utilizes an arching font over top of a Bruin, is a slight alteration of the jerseys Boston wore during that campaign, the first in Bruins history." The jerseys were "only worn for the inaugural season before Boston switched to a busy white, brown and yellow striped jersey the following campaign." As for the Canadiens, the team’s jerseys from the '24-25 campaign were "just about exactly what you would come to expect of the team." However, one would "expect the globe, which signified them as world champions, will be replaced with a more classic, white version of their logo" (THEHOCKEYNEWS.com, 7/29).
THE GREAT OUTDOORS: In Montreal, Stu Cowan writes the NHL is "really milking these outdoor games and you have to wonder when the novelty will wear off." But for now, it "remains a case of supply and demand, with the 15 previous outdoor games -- including seven Winter Classics on New Year’s Day -- attracting 853,228 fans, an average of 56,886." A crowd of about 70,000 is "expected to watch the Canadiens play the Bruins," and there are two other outdoor games on the '15-16 schedule (MONTREAL GAZETTE, 7/30).
