• by Karl Greenberg , December 22, 2008

McDonald's USA has been named the National Hockey League's official quick-service restaurant (QSR) in the United States. McDonald's is also the NHL's official QSR in Canada, and the company already has local relationships with 14 NHL teams.

McDonald's will begin the activity around the sponsorship with the Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic 2009, and then the NHL All-Star Game in Montreal. The company says it has also bought advertising on NHL Network and NHL.com, as well as on NBC and Versus.

As part of its activation at the Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic 2009, at Chicago's Wrigley Field, McDonald's will give away $5 McCafé-themed Arch Cards to fans seated in a select section of the park during intermission.

The league will also have a fan event called "NHL Winter Classic Spectator Plaza" beyond the game field. The free outdoor hockey fan event will comprise branded events from sponsors: Bud Light will sponsor a food and beverage venue; Honda will showcase the Honda Ridgeline truck and Pilot SUV; and Verizon Wireless will have a hockey-goalie video competition the winners of which will be shown on giant screen during the Winter Classic game.

McDonald's also will be part of the 2009 NHL All-Star Game in Montreal and a mid-game event during the match called the Honda NHL SuperSkills Competition, where McDonald's will serve as presenting sponsor of the shooting accuracy contest. In addition, McDonald's has secured rights as the Official QSR of USA Hockey and has a partnership with Hockey Canada.

The NHL Foundation says it will donate from $200 up to $10,000 to Ronald McDonald House Charities for every shot on goal during the game between the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings on New Year's Day. Honda, the official vehicle of the NHL, will also donate a 2009 Honda Pilot to a Ronald McDonald House in the city of the winning team.

McDonald's--which has about 19% share of the QSR segment--posted a 7.7% improvement in global sales last month, with sales in the U.S. up 4.5% and sales in Europe up 7.8%