The NHL season is fully underway with one major change from last season: In most cases, the stands are full of fans.
After more than a full season away from the rink, hockey fans in Canada are back. And as their favorite NHL teams begin the long road to vie for the greatest trophy in sports, Molson is teaming up with three of its partner Canadian teams to introduce the Molson Hall of Fan to honor their loudest and proudest fans.
A panel that includes alumni and current members of the Oilers, Canadiens and Maple Leafs will decide which fans will be enshrined at their home rinks for the duration of the NHL season. Following an announcement in January, the Hall of Fan inductees will be honored with an on-ice ceremony.
In Edmonton, Montreal and Toronto, fans of the Oilers, Canadiens and Maple Leafs can nominate themselves or a fellow fan by submitting a paragraph, photo or video explaining why they are worthy of enshrinement at MolsonHallofFan.ca/MapleLeafs, MolsonHallofFan.ca/Oilers, or MolsonHallofFan.ca/Canadiens through Nov. 15.
“After fans have been away from the arena for so long, we want to celebrate their unwavering passion for the sport following an abnormal time,” says Katie Rankin, senior marketing manager for Molson family of brands. “We want to celebrate the real MVPs of the game; their passion deserves to be celebrated.”
But fans don’t have to attend every game or be able to recite the entire ’87 Oilers roster to be considered, says Brian Collins, senior manager of partnerships for Molson Coors.
“Whether you have season tickets or you’ve never attended a game but have a ritual like watching hockey with your friends with a Molson Canadian or Molson Export in hand, we want to make sure we capture those stories,” he says. “Hockey is for everyone, no matter if you’ve followed the game all your life or are just starting to learn the game. We want to honor the fans as they get back to arenas and bars to cheer on their favorite teams.”
Molson Canadian is the official beer of the NHL and three Canadian-based NHL teams, including the Oilers and Maple Leafs, while Molson Export is the official beer of the Canadiens. During last year’s playoffs, Molson Canadian released a special-edition batch that was brewed with the help of the Stanley Cup®.