By Michael Haffey NHL | December 20, 2020 3:26pmIt’s been a year since the NHL took a big step to ensure that its fans, photographers and writers have access to the game’s best, and for the most part they’ve been good at it.
The league has announced new partnerships with major media companies including ESPN, the Associated Press, the CBC and USA Today to expand its reach to a wider range of audiences, including photographers and their clients.
The goal is to bring photographers, writers and other members of the game closer together to give fans more of what they want to see and hear.
The new partnership with USA Today marks the league’s second major news-sharing deal with a major U.S. media company, joining an earlier deal with ESPN that included news and commentary.
The NHL has also added two new members of its partnership with ESPN: a team photographer and a writer.
They’ll be joined by former NHLer and current ESPN writer Tom LeGro and a photo editor named Chris Hickey.
Both have already been named as photographers for the upcoming season.
The two new photographers will be joined on the team by three-time Stanley Cup champion and former NHL player Tom Barrasso.
In addition to the photographers and editors, the league will be hosting an online contest for all photographers and content creators who want to submit a photograph to its official website.
The contest, called “The Photographer of the Year,” will run from Dec. 20 through Jan. 2.
The goal of the contest is to find the best photograph to capture the NHL’s logo, a signature mark on the back of a jersey, the NHL logo and a crest, among other things.
All photographers will receive a $1,000 check.
To win the check, a photo must have a “professional quality” photo that is “a clear, clean, sharp and consistent shot.”
In total, there will be seven photographers competing in the contest, with the top two winning the check.
The top two photos will be published on the NHL website, as well as on ESPN and ESPN Deportes.
All other photos will remain under the NHL brand and will be featured on NHL Network.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with USA TODAY on this important partnership, and we look forward to seeing the results of this contest as we move into the 2018-19 season,” said NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.
“We are looking forward to sharing more with our fans about what makes this game so great and how we can help bring the fans closer to the sport’s top stars.”
For the past several years, the association with USA News has helped showcase the sport to a broader audience, including on ESPN’s “College GameDay.”
The partnership with the AP also helped create a new segment on ESPN that featured NHL teams in the first episode.
