To kick off its annual Hockey Fights Cancer^TM initiative and engage hockey fans with a fresh campaign, the National Hockey League (NHL) and the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) collaborated with Undefined Creative, the New York-based full-service creative agency that has previously conceived and produced several other successful promotional campaigns for the league. 

Maria Rapetskaya, Creative Director for Undefined Creative, stated, “Last year’s campaign was very successful, so we knew the bar was set very high when it came to the fans’ expectations. We all agreed that we needed to balance the desire to touch fans on a very personal and emotional level with being conscious not to exploit the very real sufferings and struggles of those brave individuals who were willing to share their story with the world. The result is an evocative campaign that focuses on a number of heartfelt local stories to create the national message that we’re all in this fight together.”

…we needed to balance the desire to touch fans on a very personal and emotional level with being conscious not to exploit the very real sufferings and struggles of those brave individuals who were willing to share their story with the world…

Extending the reach of this year’s Hockey Fights Cancer campaign, Undefined Creative sought to create as many touch points for fans as possible, while still emphasizing the local clubs and their fans as the foundation upon which the larger campaign is built. Using the tagline One Team, One Family, One Fight, Undefined Creative produced a set of 30-second and 15-second TV spots, digital and mobile banners and print ads encouraging fans to Join the Fight. Fans are also invited to visit the websites of the Leagues’ charitable partners, including the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, The Movember Foundation and Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, to learn more and join the fight against cancer. Watch project highlights here.

The campaign also reminds fans that they can make donations and support their local teams while raising awareness about cancer by purchasing official Hockey Fights Cancer merchandise, available from Shop.NHL.com, with portions of the sale going to the League’s charitable partners.

The Hockey Fights Cancer™ campaign is a joint initiative between the National Hockey League (NHL) and National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA), dedicated to supporting national and local organizations involved in cancer care and research. Together, the NHLPA and NHL will distribute more than $200,000 in grants to local cancer organizations in all 30 NHL® markets and nationally to several cancer organizations.

Hockey Fights Cancer™ is an initiative founded in December 1998 by the National Hockey League and the National Hockey League Players’ Association to raise money and awareness for hockey’s most important fight. The Hockey Fights Cancer initiative is supported by the National Hockey League Foundation, the NHL Foundation, players, NHL Member Clubs, NHL Alumni, the NHL Officials’ Association, Professional Hockey Trainers and Equipment Managers, corporate marketing partners, broadcast partners and fans throughout North America. To date, the Hockey Fights Cancer programs of the National Hockey League Foundation (in the US) and the NHL Foundation (in Canada), along with NHL supporters and fans, have donated more than $16 million to support the cancer programs of national and local cancer research institutions, children’s hospitals, player charities and local charities.