North American elite men’s NHL ice hockey competition has today announced a multi-year commercial tie-up with US sports drink brand BodyArmor.
Through the deal (also involving the NHL’s Players’ Association), BodyArmor becomes the league’s official sports drink partner, with inaugural branding to be featured across the April 20 gameweek, as the post-season 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs get underway.
The agreement has been reported by various media sources to run through 2029 and fills an empty slot in the NHL's partnerships portfolio left by the bankruptcy of BioSteel, the Canada-based sports nutrition firm with which the NHL struck a multi-year deal in July 2022.
That brand, which had been the NHL's nutrition partner, filed for bankruptcy in September last year.
Through the deal, the Coca-Cola-owned brand will provide NHL players with its product at games and practice sessions, as well as in locker rooms and training facilities.
The brand’s logo will also be featured “across all hydration queues” during NHL fixtures.
In addition, the two parties will work together on “exclusive custom content and key media integrations,” featuring elite NHL players.
The deal comes on the back of BodyArmor’s expansion into Canada earlier this year.
Kyle McMann, the NHL’s senior vice president of global business development, has said: “BodyArmor will be woven into core NHL fan engagement and youth initiatives along with a robust presence across our efforts to promote NHL prospects.”
Tom Gargiulo, chief marketing officer at BodyArmor sports nutrition, added: “The NHL is a marquee sporting property in North America and hockey is one of the fastest-growing team sports, so we couldn’t be more excited to partner with the league and the players as their official sports drink.”
Last month, the NHL and US gaming giant Caesars Entertainment announced a renewal of their regional partnership.
The multi-year partnership extension maintains Caesars as a sports betting and gaming partner of the NHL.
In February, meanwhile, the NHL announced the renewal of its partnership with US telecommunications giant Verizon.
Elsewhere in NHL news, the 32-team league has set a record for total in-venue attendance in a single season.
The record of 22,436,532 was set in 2022-23 but has now been surpassed during the eight NHL games that took place yesterday (April 15), with this season’s total now at 22,560,634.
The fans have been counted at 36 venues - those of the 42 teams, as well as Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Canada, Avicii Arena in Sweden, T-Mobile Park in Seattle, and MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
There are currently 18 games remaining in the 2023-24 regular season, ending on Thursday (April 18).
The league has claimed that, so far, the capacity during the NHL season has been up at 97%.
The 2023-24 Stanley Cup playoffs begin this coming weekend, and will run to no later than June 24.
