The Toronto Maple Leafs were two-time winners when the NHL announced the recipients of the 2023 Stanley Awards at Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
The Maple Leafs won Best Marketing Campaign and Best Sponsorship Activation. They have won five Stanleys overall (2018, 2019 and 2022).
Winners are selected by an external judging panel consisting of leaders in the sports and entertainment industry. This was the fifth Stanley Awards, which began in Las Vegas in 2018.
"Because we see so much terrific creativity and work across the League from all of our teams, not only in trying to come up with new ways to engage fans," NHL executive vice president of club business affairs Susan Cohig said. "To create programs that will be activated in communities, every one of our teams is such a great community trust within their market; how are they bringing everything to life?"
This year's awards were held in a live setting; the show was virtual the past two years due to the coronavirus pandemic.
"We've seen so much great work, we wanted to create an opportunity to recognize it. And as we thought about it, the premiere trophy in sports, of course, is the Stanley Cup," Cohig said, "so we wanted to have Stanley awards from creative standpoint."
The awards are produced by NHL director of club business affairs Nicole Allison.
"At the NHL for everything we do, whether it's putting on the Stanley Cup, whether it's doing the Winter Classic or club business meetings, it takes a village," Cohig said. "For these meetings, it's a village and our mayor of the Stanley Awards village is Nicole Allison."
The awards were part of the 2023 NHL Club Business Meetings presented by Ticketmaster, which are being hosted by the Los Angeles Kings.
"We're thrilled with the opportunity to showcase the city of L.A. to the rest of the NHL.," Kings senior vice president of marketing, communications and content Mike Altieri said. The Kings won for Best Ticketing Initiative, their second award in as many years (Best Social Impact and Growth Initiatives, 2022).
"L.A. is, as the cliché says, is the entertainment capital," Altieri said. "It's important that our league and the key influencers around our league have the opportunity to come in here and experience the city and this marketplace and understand the advantages that the L.A. marketplace has for everyone and anyone.
"The more L.A. can be an influential marketplace in the NHL, I think it helps the growth of the game."
Cohig said the creativity shown has been impressive, and sharing the finished products among all teams helps everyone going forward.
"There's the component of seeing all the entries and submissions, identifying the winners with our judging panel but then the turnaround, and this is an important point that isn't necessarily well amplified, is all of the work then is made available to all the teams, so that everyone can see what everyone else is doing, not just winning entries, but all the work," Cohig said.
"It's a great way for teams to engage and collaborate, see what other teams are doing in other markets, get more information and elevate great ideas across multiple markets."
The 2023 Stanley Award winners include:
1. Best Marketing Campaign
Program intended to promote the club's brand and/or a related product, service, or business initiative.
Winner:Toronto Maple Leafs, for "Welcome to the Flip Side" campaign
2. Best Social Impact and Growth Initiatives
Programs designed to build a healthier and more vibrant community, generating greater access, opportunity, and inclusion (e.g., hockey participation/programming, community development initiatives, purpose-driven campaigns, etc.).
Winner:Pittsburgh Penguins, for community work with the newly renovated and re-imagined Hunt Armory Ice Rink
This is the third Stanley Award for the Penguins (2018, 2022).
3. Social Media Club of the Year
Recognizes overall excellence by a club's social media team, including maximizing the teams' official social media channels to engage existing fans and capture the attention of new fans with outstanding creativity, consistency, and proven instinct to innovate within the NHL and across #smsports.
Winner:Montreal Canadiens
This is the second Stanley Award for the Canadiens (2021).
4. Best Sponsorship Activation
Recognizes a creative and/or successful partnership campaign, platform or promotion executed in conjunction with one or more club sponsor(s) with the goal of achieving mutually beneficial brand and business objectives.
Winner:Toronto Maple Leafs for "Milk Every Moment" activation
This is the second win this year and fifth overall Stanley Award for the Maple Leafs (2018, 2019, 2022).
5. Best Ticketing Initiative
Effort designed to generate new ticket sales or increase season ticket member sales or retention (e.g., new season ticket sales campaign, partial plan promotion, membership program, etc.).
Winner: Los Angeles Kings for Group Sales Theme Night initiative
This is the second Stanley Award for the Kings (2022).
6. Game Presentation of the Year
Recognizes overall excellence by a club's game presentation team, including successful execution of creative, entertaining, artistic, experimental, and technically complex elements within game presentation.
Winner:Nashville Predators
This is the first Stanley Award for the Predators.
