• by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer @lauriesullivan, April 2, 2008

Are you ready for some hockey? The National Hockey League (NHL) is trying to steal a little of the NFL's thunder. And they've ripped a couple of pages from the NFL's playbook (and used some of the same marketers) to do so. One of the key moves by the NHL was bringing in John Collins to head its marketing effort. Collins spent 15 years in the NFL's marketing offices and was instrumental in the launch of NFL Networks online.

Pushing its online community as a way to connect with teams and like-minded fans, this year's Stanley Cup campaign, "The Cup Changes Everything," (an eerie echo of Obama's "Hope Changes Everything") aims to do just that - change everything. Print and television ads, along with movie trailers running in Canada's 1,400 Cineplex theaters point to services like NHL Center Ice Online, where subscribers can watch up to 40 live games a week from outside their local market. The NHL does its own media buying and often negotiates TV ads with its broadcast contracts.

The campaign, designed by ad agency Young & Rubicam, kicked off March 31 and runs through the playoffs. The ads featuring players - Anaheim Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf, Detroit Red Wings left wing Henrik Zetterberg and Vancouver Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo - are scheduled to air on NBC and Versus networks in the United States and CBC, TSN and RDS in Canada. Ads will also run in the playoff markets during local TV telecasts on Fox Sports regional networks, airing twice per game too. Digital video ad spots on NHL.com, YouTube and Joost emphasize community and game. Fans will see digital banner ads on NHL.com and team sites, as well as print ads in Sports Illustrated, Globe and Mail and USA Today.