As the Official Military Appreciation Partner of the NHL, Navy Federal Credit Union will serve as the presenting sponsor of the inaugural NHL Veterans Appreciation Night™ broadcast on Nov. 7 on NBCSN. The NHL and Navy Federal Credit Union will honor retired service members during the Wednesday Night Hockey broadcast doubleheader, which begins at 7 p.m. ET with the Pittsburgh Penguins-Washington Capitals game followed immediately by Nashville Predators-Colorado Avalanche. In addition, to commemorate Veterans Day and this new partnership, Navy Federal Credit Union will make a special donation to the American Freedom Foundation (AFF) to support veterans with their career transitions.
"This partnership makes total sense for Navy Federal and the NHL- we share similar values, focused on forming meaningful relationships," said Navy Federal Senior Vice President of Marketing & Communications Pam Piligian. "There is a strong sense of camaraderie within the NHL, which is something that so many of our members are very familiar with from their time serving our country."
"It is important to us at the NHL that we show our active duty military, veterans and their families how much we appreciate them and all they have done for our country," said Max Paulsen, NHL Director of Business Development. "Our new partnership with Navy Federal Credit Union gives us the chance to do that through both contributions to support transitioning veterans and a significant presence at our major events and game broadcasts. This is a great fit in terms of shared values and goals and we look forward to engaging Navy Federal with NHL fans in many meaningful ways."
As part of this partnership, the NHL and Navy Federal have launched "Stick Tap for Service," a digital destination for veterans, active duty service members and their families to share personal stories of how hockey has impacted their lives.
Navy Federal will also be an official partner and the presenting sponsor for military-themed ceremonial elements at the NHL Winter Classic®, the NHL® All-Star Weekend and the NHL Stadium Series™. Navy Federal branding will be integrated into several League assets throughout the 2018-19 season, including dasherboards, jumbotron and in-game broadcasts.
