PPG will participate as a sponsor of the 2023 Discover NHL Winter Classic® featuring the Pittsburgh Penguins versus the Boston Bruins on Monday, Jan. 2 at 2 p.m. ET. Pittsburgh-based PPG's presence at the NHL Winter Classic is a natural synergy with the Penguins' participation. The PPG partnership will be visible in various ways, such as on-site activation, branded dasherboards, and in-stadium signage.
"We're proud to combine the power of the NHL with PPG and its well-known consumer paint brands, including PPG PAINTS™, DULUX® paint, SICO® paint, GLIDDEN® paint and OLYMPIC® stains," said Bryan Iams, PPG chief communications and government affairs officer. "Through the partnership extension, PPG will continue to identify new ways to integrate its paints, coatings and specialty materials into the game of hockey, including at premier events such as the 2023 Discover NHL Winter Classic."
Another highlight of the partnership includes PPG receiving nationwide broadcast exposure through Digitally Enhanced Dasherboards (DED) during the Stanley Cup Playoffs® throughout the agreement's term. PPG will be able to reach a broader audience through this dynamic signage initiative and the opportunity is a strategic fit with the Stanley Cup Playoffs occurring at the start of paint season.
"We are delighted to extend our partnership with PPG, a deeply committed NHL partner that engages our fans across numerous levels of our great game, including at the upcoming Discover NHL Winter Classic," said Kyle McMann, NHL Senior Vice President, North American Business Development. "It is exciting to see that PPG will utilize DED, an innovative approach to dynamic dasherboard advertising to promote their products and reach new consumers and NHL fans."
Since the partnership's inception in 2017, PPG has collaborated with the NHL to integrate its innovative products into the game of hockey. At the beginning of the last partnership extension in 2019, the two parties announced that a color-changing thermochromic coating would be added to all official game pucks. Developed with PPG's suppliers LCR Hallcrest and QCR Solutions Corporation, the advanced coatings change from purple to clear when a pucks temperature is above freezing. This provides a visual indication to officials that the puck should be replaced.
The 2022-23 NHL season marks the fourth of the coating's use, and it continues to make a positive impact on the game of hockey. The NHL utilizes over 60,000 coated game pucks every season. In addition to the thermochromic coating, PPG's ENVIROCRON® Extreme Protection coating has been used on NHL goal posts since 2017. The proprietary powder coating technology provides outstanding cold chip resistance for the most challenging automotive underbody end-uses and continues to be used to protect hockey goals.
PPG produces paints, stains and specialty products available at more than 250 Dulux stores in Canada, 600 PPG Paints stores in the U.S., 6,000 independent dealer locations and 8,000 major home improvement center locations in the U.S. and Canada, including The Home Depot, RONA, Menards and Walmart.
