• by Wayne Friedman , April 14, 2010

It says sponsorship revenue for the sport is up 20% for the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The league says it has signed on seven new partners and renewed agreements with an additional five partners. New and returning sponsors including Anheuser Busch, Reebok, Bridgestone, Hershey’s – Canada, Bell Mobility – Canada, Honda, PepsiCo-Canada, Visa – Canada, and Starwood Hotels.

NHL says a lot of gains have been made by pushing big events, the Stanley Cup Playoffs for one but also the wildly-successful outdoor NHL Winter Classic. The league says adding big digital opportunities have helped created a “digital front door� for the league.

That door seems wide-open for some marketers.