NHL, Franklin Sports Ink Multi-Year License Renewal To Produce Franklin NHL Street™ Hockey Gear

July 21, 2011 - PRLog -- Franklin Sports and the National Hockey League (NHL) are celebrating the 20th anniversary of Franklin NHL Street™ Hockey Gear with a multi-year license renewal to continue the global partnership that has made Franklin the category leader in street hockey gear. The announcement was made today by NHL Executive Vice President of Marketing Brian Jennings and Senior Product Manager John Purciello at the 2011 NHL Exchange licensed products and retail trade show inside the Air Canada Centre in Toronto.  

“We are delighted to continue our strong relationship with the NHL,” said Larry J. Franklin, President of Franklin Sports. “Street hockey exploded when we joined forces in the nineties, and the sport is a tremendous, low-cost way for kids to stay active, and enjoy the sport. We take great pride in our role as the ‘Official Street Hockey Gear of the NHL®.’”

“For more than 20 years, Franklin Sports has been a tremendous partner in helping introduce the sport of hockey to children of all ages and backgrounds,” said Jennings.  “As we further our efforts to grow the game and promote physical activities through hockey, Franklin Sports will continue to play an integral role in our grassroots initiatives.”

During the 2010-11 NHL season, approximately 250,000 youths in more than 1,600 schools and community centers across North America took part in the NHL’s grassroots street hockey programming. Street hockey serves as a great introduction to the sport of hockey and the NHL, as players become fans.

Franklin NHL Street™ Hockey Gear is the market leader in street hockey equipment, available at all major retail outlets in the U.S. and Canada, and has defined the sport for two decades.  

The continuing popularity of street hockey was in evidence in March when First Lady Michelle Obama hosted the first-ever street hockey game in the driveway of the White House featuring members of the 2010 Stanley Cup® champion Chicago Blackhawks® facing off against third and fourth graders from Powell Elementary School as part of the White House’s Let’s Move! initiative. The event kicked off the NHL and USA Hockey’s collaboration to help promote the goals of Let's Move! and the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award to encourage healthy eating and regular physical activities through the sport of hockey.

Last summer, the NHL donated street hockey equipment and apparel to help launch the first NHL Street Hockey League at Camp Victory in Baghdad, Iraq. The donation was in conjunction with UPS and the U.S. Army in celebration of the U.S. Army’s 235th anniversary.

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Franklin Sports (www.franklinbaseball.com) is the maker of the official batting glove of Major League Baseball which is worn by many of the world’s finest hitters.