Report: Ads on helmets just the beginning, NHL planning “aggressive” money-making ideas

The day I've been dreading for awhile now finally happened yesterday... the NHL announced that they would be selling advertising space on team helmets for the 2021 season. More specifically, the Washington Capitals, New Jersey Devils and Nashville Predators unveiled their new logos and... frankly... this stuff makes me sick to my stomach.

Check it out:

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Call me a traditionalist or a purist, but personally I HATE this idea. Between television commercials, ads on the boards, ads on the ice and live ads read aloud literally DURING the game... enough already. I don't need more corporate BS shoved down my throat when I'm just trying to watch a hockey game. 

Sportsnet NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reports however that ads on helmets is just the start. The NHL is planning to get "aggressive" with regards to finding new and unique revenue sources.

From Friedman's most recent column for Sportsnet:

According to multiple sources, the league believes it will be able to retain $80 to $90 million in sponsorship revenue that would have been lost in 2020-21 without new initiatives. What’s particularly interesting is that these are all one-year contracts for brand preservation and make-good value. It allows everyone to test/learn the true value of these placements, without locking into long-term marriages.

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Okay... so what are we looking at exactly here? Decals on helmets, check. What else?

Again from Friedman:

VIRTUAL ON-ICE ADVERTISING

Any NHL television viewer is familiar with the area around the blue line where the league will stamp “Welcome back, fans” or “Stanley Cup Playoffs” on the ice. Hockey Operations isn’t crazy about this process, especially during the post-season. It wants the ice protected, not tampered with.

The exact details are still being negotiated with everyone involved (including the TV partners), but the league is working on projecting “virtual ads” just inside the bluelines. The technology necessary to do this is already being installed in arenas as part of the NHL’s puck-tracking system. SMT, the league’s partner in that endeavour, created football’s yellow first-down line.

EXPANDED BENCH SIGNAGE

There are already ads on the boards behind the coaches as they stand, but what’s also being discussed are ads on the glass. Over the holidays, an LED system will be tested, but there will be stiff standards against glare onto the ice and into the players’ faces, so that’s no guarantee.

EDGE WRAP

On the glass, just above the boards. Six different configurations, including behind both nets. See-through. Two partners to share the opportunity.

TARP SEAT COVERS

If you watched last summer’s playoffs in the bubble, you saw these in the lower bowl. Neutral colours, no black so the puck is hidden from goalies.

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Hope you like being advertised to during every single moment of a hockey game...