I just read an article about the NHL's marketing campaign for the season. According to MediaPost, the NHL will again center their pitch around the "Is This The Year" slogan, featuring Henrik Lundqvist, Patrick Kane, Dion Phaneuf and ... yes, this guy.
In the article, NHL executive VP for marketing Brian Jennings also promises: an NHL.com redesign; a campaign to promote the Center Ice package; and focused promotions on the Winter Classic, All-Star Game and Stanley Cup. No word on if Eric Staal will appear in this year's campaign at all.
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In some other news, TSN has signed on ex-Lightning coach John Tortorella to be a studio analyst for the NHL on TSN. Finally, a reason to be thankful we're not watching Canadian hockey coverage.
They've also added Ray Ferraro as a game analyst and contributor to their sportscasts and Web site. He replaces Glenn Healey, who left TSN to work for the NHLPA.
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Finally, ESPN.com (yeah, I know, their hockey coverage stinks) has a chat scheduled with Capitals owner Ted Leonsis for 2 p.m. ET today. Leonsis has been at the forefront of allowing bloggers and Internet sites access to his team, so it's always interesting to hear his take on things. He's there to specifically discuss his documentary "Kicking It," a film about The Homeless World Cup, a soccer event that began in 2001.