Ice hockey is undoubtedly the national sport of Canada, the men’s and women’s gold medal victories in the 2010 Winter Olympics at home serves as a testament to the international eye of what the sport means to Canadians. Ice hockey has been used many times in conjunction with the culture of the people of Canada. The sport holds well with all age groups and of all ethnic Canadians; it is a way of life. As far as we Canadians are concerned, the growth of the international game is not as important as it is preserving the game at home and strengthening the identity of Canadians.

Rogers Communications Inc.’s recent deal with the NHL that will give it Canadian multimedia rights through a 12-year, $5.2-billion agreement allows for the growth of the sport to prosper and develop an open-ended communication channel throughout Canada as a nationwide network.

From Rogers’ standpoint, as  SFU Marketing professor Lindsay Meredith points out, the billion-dollar deal reveals a bold marketing strategy.  The naming rights of Vancouver’s Rogers Arena, in particular, is a mere small step integrating Canada’s hockey world. Meredith notes that Rogers is also taking advantage of the increasing involvement of technology in the game as the exchange of information is being transported via wireless channels.

From the Canadian consumers’ standpoint, the deal offers copious amounts of hockey – at a higher price – on a variety of channels and devices. UBC’s own James Brander says the pricing will be as a result of channel bundling and justifying the big price tag of the deal. Personally, I feel that the unification of all networks brings the sport full-circle for Canadians and thus they wont feel hindered by the increase in price, but see it as a positive step in adding to the culture and identity of Canadians.