• December 5, 2011

The National Hockey League and NBC Sports are producing a national ad campaign for the 2012 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic, the Jan. 2 outdoor game between the New York Rangers and the Philadelphia Flyers. 

The campaign, via the NHL and NBC Sports Agency, and Young & Rubicam showcase the rivalry between the two teams and cities, and position the NHL Winter Classic as a holiday tradition and appointment television must for sports fans.

One spot features landmarks in Philadelphia like the Liberty Bell, Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Love Park and New York City (Times Square and the Empire State Building). In the ad Flyers players Sean Couturier, Claude Giroux, Scott Hartnell, Wayne Simmonds, Max Talbot and James van Riemsdyk and Rangers players Artem Anisimov, Brian Boyle, Marian Gaborik, Ryan McDonagh, Brandon Prust and Derek Stepan appear. The song Auld Lang Syne sets the tone. In the ad it is performed by Alex Skolnick, lead guitarist of Testament and Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

A second ad features hockey fans performing the Tom Connors’ song “The Hockey Song,” while assembled in bars, hosting home viewing parties and tailgating. Hockey Hall of Famer Luc Robitaille and actor Will Arnett are among the fans in the ad.

There are also online, radio, print, in-arena, retail/in-store point-of-purchase, mobile and social media elements, with executions running on the NHL, NBC and VERSUS as well as additional NBCUniversal networks and digital platforms.