TORONTO — Bell Media’s TSN and RDS sports networks today announced they are partnering with Canadian food brand Janes and Hockey Canada on a new initiative to honour and recognize trailblazers in women’s hockey during their upcoming broadcasts of the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship, starting Christmas Day, and the 2021 IIHF Women’s World Championship next spring.
The partnership aims to encourage positive change and gender parity in hockey by rallying and championing voices from across the hockey community, says Bell Media’s press release.
As part of the Janes’ All In program, Canada’s National Junior Team goalies Dylan Garand, Taylor Gauthier and Devon Levi will wear specially designed tribute masks during three key games of the junior men’s tournament. The goalie masks will feature six of the top Canadian women’s hockey players of all time, as selected through a nationwide poll on Hockey Canada’s website. The first pair to be featured will be four-time Olympic gold medallists Caroline Ouellette and Jayna Hefford.
The new partnership also includes multiplatform Janes sponsorship elements airing across TSN and RDS’s broadcast, digital and social media platforms.
“We believe what gets celebrated grows and we want to be agents of positive change to grow the game together,” said Joanne Stencell, senior manager of sponsorships at Sofina Foods, which owns the Janes brand. “Our partnership with Hockey Canada, TSN and RDS will propel our goal even higher. We chose to use the goalie masks, a famous icon, to shine a light on some of the greatest women’s hockey players ever. We can’t wait for the next chapter at the upcoming Women’s World Championship in Halifax and Truro.”
“The upcoming World Juniors and Women’s World Championship are national celebrations of the game of hockey, and they are the perfect platforms to launch this significant new partnership between TSN, RDS, Janes, and Hockey Canada,” said Justin Stockman, vice-president of brand partnerships and client strategy at Bell Media. “Together through these unique brand integrations, including these incredible customized goalie masks, we are proud to collectively amplify and champion women’s hockey.”
Janes and TSN also worked closely with MediaCom Sport & Entertainment to develop the marketing and media strategy around the All In program, says the press release.
TSN’s complete broadcast schedule for the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship is available here.
