Penguins add PPG logo to helmets

The Pittsburgh Penguins announced Monday that PPG will display its logo on all players’ helmets for the 2021 season.

It makes PPG the first sponsor to have its logo appear on Penguins game equipment.

As part of PPG’s naming rights sponsorship with the Penguins, all players’ helmets will bear the PPG decal on both the left and right sides. The logos appeared for the first time at the Penguins’ Monday morning practice. They will be displayed on the helmets for all home games — at PPG Paints Arena — and away games this season.

The corporation did not disclose the amount of money it is paying the Penguins to display the logo on the helmets.

“The helmet sponsorship is part of our existing naming rights sponsorship, so we wouldn’t be able to disclose a specific dollar amount,” said PPG spokesperson Greta Edgar.

PPG purchased naming rights for the arena in 2016. Founded in 1883, PPG today operates globally, selling paints, coatings and other speciality materials.

The deal is part of a partnership program established by the NHL to encourage teams to display advertisers’ logos on their equipment. The Washington Capitals and the New Jersey Devils were among the first NHL teams to announce helmet sponsorships for the upcoming season, partnering with Capital One and Prudential Financial, respectively.

For its part, the NHL has said it’s part of a temporary measure, adopted for the 2021 season only, to help teams recoup revenue lost to playing in empty or reduced capacity arenas.

It’s also designed to help companies that lost out on exposure during the pandemic, according to the NHL.

Our friends at @PPG will be the first-ever helmet entitlement partner for the upcoming hockey season.

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— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 4, 2021

“We are proud to showcase PPG on our helmets as the first corporate partner on Penguins’ game equipment,” said David Morehouse, president and CEO of the team. “It’s exciting to expand our long-term partnership with PPG, an iconic Pittsburgh company, by providing additional exposure to millions of fans, viewers and social media followers across the world — especially during our games at PPG Paints Arena.”

While seeing professional sports teams with corporate logos is commonplace in Europe, it is unusual in the U.S., particularly among teams in the four major professional sports — baseball, football, basketball and hockey. Some NBA teams started carrying corporate logos on jerseys in 2017 though they are more commonly seen in the U.S. in sports such as auto racing and Major League Soccer.

Whether this is the start of a trend for other major U.S. sports remains to be seen.

“PPG is proud to be highlighted on the Pittsburgh Penguins’ player helmets this season,” said Bryan Iams, PPG vice president for corporate and government affairs. “This is a unique opportunity to showcase our brand and further extend our naming rights partnership at all Penguins home and away games.”