AutoTrader.ca, EA, Esso/Exon Mobil, Geico, Sonnet, Pizza Pizza and Upper Deck have all been named official partners of the World Cup of Hockey, with software giant SAP set to take on jersey branding rights during the upcoming national team ice hockey tournament.
Each company will produce targeted marketing campaigns to promote the tournament, which takes place at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre from September 17 to October 1.
Various fan engagement activities will also be organised, principally at the World Cup of Hockey Fan Village, which will give all partners the chance to connect with supporters during the event.
The National Hockey League, which is organising the tournament alongside the National Hockey League Players’ Association, confirmed that SAP’s branding would feature on the sweaters worn by players during games.
The National Basketball Association is trialing jersey sponsorship for its teams commencing from the 2017-18 season, but NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said the World Cup of Hockey initiative with SAP is not likely to lead to a similar effort with its franchises.
“Nobody should say that that means the next step is to put them on NHL jerseys,” Bettman (pictured) said, according to the Canadian Press news agency. “I am a believer in the history, tradition and exactly how special NHL sweaters are. And while these World Cup jerseys have been designed from scratch and are spectacular, it's not necessarily the same as the NHL sweaters.”
The new World Cup sponsors join Adidas, Air Canada, Canadian Tire Corporation, Honda, Molson Coors, PepsiCo, Rogers Communications, Scotiabank, Tim Hortons and Visa as corporate partners of the tournament. The NHL confirmed further new partners would be announced in the coming weeks, with support to arrive from sponsors based outside of North America.