NHL, Anheuser-Busch, Labatt announce official North American partnership

NEW YORK - Anheuser-Busch and the National Hockey League (NHL) today announced a multiyear partnership, naming Bud Light an Official Beer of the NHL in the U.S. and Budweiser an Official Beer of the NHL in Canada.

The partnership is inclusive of all major NHL tentpole events including the NHL Winter Classic®, NHL® All-Star Weekend, Stanley Cup® Playoffs and Stanley Cup® Final. Additionally, in Canada the agreement includes Flavoured Malt Beverages (FMB) and Ready-To-Drink Beverages (RTD) Categories, with Mike's 0g HARDer Sparkling Water becoming a lead brand in the partnership.
"Bud Light has a long history of celebrating sports fans season after season, and we are excited to expand our sports portfolio and bring our brand energy and experiences to hockey fans in the U.S. and Canada," said Andy Goeler, VP of Marketing, Bud Light. "We have had great success as a club partner for many years, but this league partnership will enable us to engage even more with hockey fans in new and exciting ways and during key moments throughout the season, bringing fans closer to the game they love."
"In Canada, Budweiser has supported hockey and its fans for over 10 years and we're excited and honoured to take our love for the game to the next level as an official sponsor of the NHL," said Todd Allen, VP Marketing, Labatt Breweries of Canada. "To continue to elevate the fan experience, we're also bringing along the newest addition to our roster, Mike's 0g HARDer Sparkling Water, and we're eager for hockey fans to learn more about the brand."
As part of the deal, Bud Light and Budweiser will have the ability to create content and activate throughout the season at NHL marquee events, including the NHL Winter Classic®, NHL® All-Star Weekend, NHL Stadium Series™, Stanley Cup® Playoffs, Stanley Cup® Final, NHL Awards™ and NHL Draft™. In addition, Bud Light and Budweiser will have significant presence across the NHL's broadcast and digital platforms including NHL Network, NHL Social and NHL.com, in addition to NHL national media rightsholders NBC (U.S.) and Rogers Sportsnet (Canada).
"We're thrilled to announce our new partnership with these iconic brands embraced by fans around the world," said Kyle McMann, Senior Vice President, North American Business Development & Global Partnerships, NHL. "Through both Anheuser-Busch in the U.S. and Labatt in Canada, this partnership presents a tremendous opportunity to extend the NHL brand to fans across many platforms throughout North America. We look forward to celebrating our game with fans by creating memorable and deep engagements through Bud Light in the U.S. and Budweiser in Canada."
Anheuser-Busch has a proud and longstanding history with the NHL, highlighted by local partnerships with 24 NHL Clubs, including the Anaheim Ducks, Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Calgary Flames, Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, St. Louis Blues, Tampa Bay Lightning, Vancouver Canucks, Vegas Golden Knights, Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets.
For more information on Bud Light's partnership with the NHL please contact
[email protected]
and be sure to follow @BudLight on

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For more information, be sure to follow @BudweiserCanada on

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Instagram
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Facebook
and Mike's 0g HARDer Sparkling Water on

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Instagram
and
Facebook
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About Anheuser-Busch

For more than 165 years, Anheuser-Busch has carried on a legacy of brewing great-tasting, high-quality beers that have satisfied beer drinkers for generations. Today, we own and operate 23 breweries, 14 distributorships and 23 agricultural and packaging facilities, and have more than 18,000 colleagues across the United States. We are home to several of America's most recognizable beer brands, including Budweiser, Bud Light, Michelob ULTRA and Stella Artois, as well as a number of regional brands that provide beer drinkers with a choice of the best-tasting craft beers in the industry. From responsible drinking programs and emergency drinking water donations to industry-leading sustainability efforts, we are guided by our unwavering commitment to supporting the communities we call home. For more information, visit
www.anheuser-busch.com
or follow Anheuser-Busch on
LinkedIn
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Facebook
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About Labatt Breweries Of Canada

Labatt Breweries of Canada, one of Canada's oldest companies, has been a leading national brewer for more than 170 years. Founded in London, Ontario in 1847, Labatt has six breweries from Newfoundland to British Columbia, and employs 3,500 skilled professionals and craftspeople. Labatt's portfolio of more than 60 quality beers is unmatched in breadth and quality. Regional favourites include Alexander Keith's, Kokanee, and Labatt Blue. As part of the Anheuser-Busch InBev family, Labatt also offers consumers globally-renowned beers such as Stella Artois, Budweiser, Bud Light, Corona and Goose Island. Labatt is also a significant player in the craft beer market through Stanley Park Brewing in British Columbia, Toronto's Mill Street, and Archibald Microbrasserie in Quebec, and in the ready-to-drink segment with Palm Bay, Mike's Hard Lemonade and Okanagan Cider.

About the NHL

The National Hockey League (NHL®), founded in 1917, consists of 31 Member Clubs and proudly welcomes its 32nd franchise, based in Seattle, for the 2021-22 season. Each team roster reflects the League's international makeup with players from more than 20 countries represented, all vying for the most cherished and historic trophy in professional sports - the Stanley Cup®. Gary Bettman has served the NHL as Commissioner since February 1, 1993 and has guided the world's top professional hockey league to more than $5 billion in annual revenues and partnerships with more than 40 blue chip corporate sponsors. Every year, the NHL entertains more than 670 million fans in-arena and through its partners on national television and radio; more than 151 million followers - league, team and player accounts combined - across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube; and more than 100 million fans online at NHL.com. The League broadcasts games in more than 160 countries and territories through its rightsholders including NBC/NBCSN and the NHL Network™ in the U.S., Sportsnet and TVA in Canada, Viasat in the Nordic Region, Yandex in Russia and CCTV and Tencent in China. The NHL reaches fans worldwide with games available online in every country including via its live and on-demand streaming service NHL.TV™. Having entered the esports world in 2018, the League hosts the NHL Gaming World Championship™ annually, drawing record digital streaming audiences during the 2019 campaign. Fans are engaged across the League's digital assets on mobile devices via the free NHL® App; across nine social media platforms; on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio™; and on NHL.com, available in eight languages and featuring unprecedented access to player and team statistics as well as every regular-season and playoff game box score dating back to the League's inception, powered by SAP. The NHL is committed to building healthy and vibrant communities through the sport of hockey by increasing youth participation and engagement; fostering positive family experiences; promoting inclusion, positive culture and leadership; and supporting sustainable community impact.