By Andrea Hernandez

Clutch, an online car retailer for pre-owned vehicles in Canada, signed a multi-year Canadian partnership with the NHL this Wednesday, becoming the NHL’s official online used car dealer in the country.

This is the first time Clutch has been an official sponsor of a major professional sports league. In addition, the online used car dealer category is a new one for the NHL.

“There is nothing that connects Canadians quite like our love of hockey, and we are looking forward to sharing our best-in-class online car-buying experience with Canadian hockey-lovers over the coming years,” says Whitney Bell, VP of marketing of Clutch.

The new agreement, which begins immediately, gives Clutch a number of exclusive marketing rights and designations that will allow it to connect with the NHL and reach more consumers through the NHL’s extensive marketing, digital and social media channels.

NHL fans will see Clutch branding in virtual advertisements visible on the ice throughout the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs and Final games broadcast on Sportsnet in Canada.

Bell says Clutch also has a contest as part of its content plans launching Friday, in which two fans will each win two tickets to a first-round Stanley Cup Playoffs game of their choice.

“Clutch will also bring exciting NHL contests and experiences exclusively to the TikTok community in Canada,” she says, adding that Clutch and the NHL will continue to collaborate to create content that engages fans and consumers through Clutch and NHL-owned social media.

No agency was used to negotiate the deal, which was negotiated by Bell and Mark Titus, the NHL’s manager of business development. Most of the creative that will be used to activate the sponsorship was produced at Clutch, though Bell says creative agency Performance Art created an NHL-themed final card that will be added to its recently launched brand campaign in broadcast and on Twitter.