• by Tanya Gazdik , July 12, 2020

The National Hockey League is launching a series of brand spots that celebrate its return to the ice and the upcoming 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

The first spot in the series, “Better Days Are Coming,” features the song “Better Days” from OneRepublic. The 60-second ad debuted Friday on the NHL’s digital and social media channels shortly after the ratification of the CBA by the NHL and National Hockey Players’ Association.

Produced by NHL Studios and the NHL’s in-house marketing team, the campaign will feature music from award-winning artists, with an end card that reads“The Stanley Cup begins August 1.” It will air on NBC, NBCSN, Sportsnet, CBC, TVA Sports and NHL Network.

The NHL and National Hockey League Players’ Association ratified a four-year extension to the collective bargaining agreement (through 2025-26) and a return-to-play plan. NHL training camps open Monday.

Following a 142-day pause, the NHL will drop the puck with a five-game schedule of Stanley Cup qualifiers on Aug. 1 as part of the resumption of the 2019-20 NHL season toward the crowning of a Stanley Cup champion by early October.

The league posted a “We Miss Hockey” video April 10 on social media when the Stanley Cup playoffs were supposed to start, which also featured the song “Better Days.”