NEW YORK (Oct. 31, 2011) - Tim Hortons, one of North America's largest quick-service restaurant chains, has secured title sponsorship of this season's National Hockey League All-Star Game -- deepening the company's multi-year partnership as the Official Quick Service Coffee, Donut and Breakfast Restaurant of the NHL® in Canada. Moving forward, this year's event will be known as the 2012 Tim Hortons NHL® All-Star Game.
The 2012 Tim Hortons NHL® All-Star Game will take place on Jan. 29 at Scotiabank Place, home of the Ottawa Senators, during the 2012 NHL All-Star weekend. This will mark the first time Ottawa has hosted the NHL All-Star weekend.
As part of Tim Hortons being named the title sponsor, it will receive various assets in connection with the 2012 NHL All-Star Game, including a prominent in-ice brand position; camera-visible dasherboards; on-air mentions of the Tim Hortons brand in connection with the event name and logo on CBC broadcasts, including branded pre-All-Star Game promotion, integration of the Tim Hortons brand throughout all NHL-controlled media properties including NHL.com, NHL NetworkTM and NHL Radio,TM the opportunity to integrate the Timbits Minor Hockey players into promotional activities and more. In addition, Tim Hortons will serve as the presenting sponsor of both the Tim Hortons NHL Elimination ShootoutTM within the NHL All-Star Skills Competition and the NHL trophy exhibit within NHL Fan Fair,TM the fan festival that will offer interactive games, attractions, and more, during the NHL All-Star weekend.
The 2012 Tim Hortons NHL® All-Star Game is following the huge success of the 2011 NHL All-Star weekend that introduced the first ever NHL All-Star Player Fantasy DraftTM, and where the League earned significant increases in viewership in Canada and the United States, a 42% increase in sponsorship revenue over the last All-Star Game held in the U.S., an all-time record for video starts on NHL.com and the best retail performance for a U.S.-based All-Star Game in seven years. The weekend captivated the city of Raleigh for three days as fans tailgated, flocked downtown and more than 31,000 people attended the NHL Fan FairTM event.
"We're excited to be back in Canada to host one of the most important platforms that celebrates hockey and promotes some of our best players," said Kyle McMann, the NHL's Vice President of Partnership Marketing in Canada. "As a partner who supports the whole spectrum of hockey, bringing the NHL All-Star Game to our nation's capital allows Tim Hortons to deliver fans the ultimate hockey celebration."
NHL NetworkTM, NHL.com, NHL RadioTM and NHL MobileTM will have all angles of the game covered with a full slate of live programming and fan initiatives. Live television coverage of the game will be provided by NBC Sports Network in the U.S. and CBC and RDS in Canada.
"Having the 2012 Tim Hortons NHL All-Star Game in Canada serves as the perfect rallying point for Canadians who love hockey", said Bill Moir, Chief Marketing Officer of the TDL Group Corp. "For a company whose history and brand strategy is so inherently tied to the world's greatest game across all levels, it reinforces how ideal this partnership is in helping celebrate the NHL's finest in Ottawa".
Tim Hortons is one of the largest restaurant chains in North America and serves about two billion cups of coffee a year in Canada and the United States. Tim Hortons is a significant sponsor of several NHL teams, including the Buffalo Sabres, Calgary Flames, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, Edmonton Oilers, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks and Winnipeg Jets.
Additional details about the 2012 NHL All-Star weekend festivities to be announced in the coming weeks.
NHL and the NHL Shield are registered trademarks and the NHL All-Star Game logo, NHL Network, NHL Radio, NHL Elimination Shootout, NHL Fan Fair, NHL All-Star Player Fantasy Draft and NHL Mobile are trademarks of the National Hockey League. NHL and NHL team marks are the property of the NHL and its teams. © NHL 2011. All Rights Reserved.
About Tim Hortons
Tim Hortons is one of the largest publicly traded quick-service restaurant chain in North America, and the largest in Canada. Operating in the quick-service segment of the restaurant industry, Tim Hortons appeals to a broad range of consumer tastes, with a menu that includes premium coffee, flavoured cappuccinos, specialty teas, home-style soups, fresh sandwiches, wraps, hot breakfast sandwiches and fresh baked goods, including our trademark donuts. As of July 3rd, 2011, Tim Hortons had 3,811 system-wide restaurants, including 3,189 in Canada and 622 in the United States.
About the NHL
The National Hockey League®, founded in 1917, is the second-oldest of the four major professional team sports leagues in North America. Today, the NHL® consists of 30 Member Clubs, each reflecting the League's international makeup, with players from more than 20 countries represented on team rosters. According to a Simmons Market Research study, NHL fans are younger, more educated, more affluent, and access content through digital means more than any other major professional sport. The NHL entertains more than 250 million fans each season in-arena and through its partners in national television (VERSUS, NBC, TSN, CBC, RDS, RIS, MTG and NHL NetworkTM) and radio (NHL RadioTM and Sirius XM Satellite Radio). Through the NHL Foundation, the League's charitable arm, the NHL raises money and awareness for Hockey Fights CancerTM and NHL Youth Development, and supports the charitable efforts of NHL players. For more information on the NHL, log on to NHL.com.
For more information, contact:
Erica Yakobzon | NHL
eyakobzon@nhl.com | 212-789-2157