AFL&C Gets Into the Rink with NHL

BOSTON – ‘Last night I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out.’ Rodney Dangerfield’s joke reflects the kind of image that the National Hockey League hopes to change through a series of five new ads. The ads will ‘broaden the appeal of hockey to elevate the perception of the game beyond physical contact and fighting,’ said Arnold Fortuna Lawner & Cabot executive vp Dick Emerson. AFL&C was asked last September by the NHL to help create its first TV image spots, which will run on various cable stations during professional hockey games during time the NHL has already bought as part of its broadcast contracts with Sports-Channel in the U.S.