New Golden Era for NHL?
The National Hockey League (NHL) today opens its 2025-26 season with a new chapter of its “The Next Golden Era is Now” creative campaign, developed in collaboration with longtime agency partner Highdive. This season’s campaign showcases top NHL players through the lens of contemporary trends and cultural conversations—from working from home to the AI revolution to reality TV and viral “Day In The Life” TikTok trends. Each spot humorously juxtaposes these topics with the game of hockey, creating engaging content designed to resonate with both dedicated fans and casual viewers alike.
The first spot in the campaign, “Work From Home,” finds Connor Bedard of the Chicago Blackhawks; Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins; Jack Eichel and Mitch Marner of the Vegas Golden Knights; Matt Boldy of the Minnesota Wild; and Travis Sanheim of the Philadelphia Flyers in an office setting, dressed in casual business attire and challenging common misconceptions that working from home is less productive. From Bedard analyzing bar charts to Crosby nursing stale coffee, each player makes a compelling case for doing his best work on “home” ice.
Throughout the season, the NHL will unveil additional 30-second spots in the campaign, exploring equally unexpected and relevant cultural topics. “AI Can’t NHL” questions the impact artificial intelligence will have on players’ jobs. “Reality TV” takes on the world of unscripted television, while “Day in the Life” offers a humorous, hockey-centric take on influencer culture and social media trends.
“By putting a hockey spin on culturally relevant topics, this campaign positions the NHL and its players in a fresh, fun and relatable way,” said Casey Hall, NHL Senior Vice President, Marketing. “And importantly, it does so while emphasizing the speed, skill, intensity and entertainment that happens on the ice. The brand campaign is part of our larger marketing efforts to deepen affinity among existing fans and broaden our growing appeal to new audiences.”
“With this campaign, we wanted to meet our audience in the spaces they are already in—whether that’s debating AI, binging reality TV, or scrolling TikTok,” said Pat Seidel, Group Creative Director at Highdive. “This campaign takes the cultural moments people are already talking about and gives them a hockey twist, positioning NHL players as part of the broader entertainment landscape. It’s unexpected, relatable, and showcases the personality of the players on and off the ice in a fresh way for the fans.”
“Work From Home” will make its broadcast debut during Opening Night tripleheader games on ESPN in the U.S. and Sportsnet in Canada. The puck drops at 5 p.m. ET when the Blackhawks face the two-time Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers; continues at 8 p.m. ET with the Penguins-New York Rangers matchup; and concludes with the Colorado Avalanche-Los Angeles Kings faceoff at 10:30 p.m. ET.
The action continues Wednesday, Oct. 8 with NHL on TNT’s coverage of the Boston Bruins- Washington Capitals game at 7:30 p.m. ET followed by the Los Angeles Kings-Vegas Golden Knights game simulcast across TNT and HBO Max in the U.S. In Canada, Sportsnet and TVA Sports’ doubleheader coverage begins with the Montreal Canadiens-Toronto Maple Leafs game at 7 p.m. ET followed by Calgary Flames-Edmonton Oilers at 10 p.m. ET.
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