The National Hockey League, often shortened to simply the NHL, is a professional ice hockey league in North America, currently comprising 31 teams: 24 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is considered to be the premier professional ice hockey league in the world, and one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada. The Stanley Cup, the oldest professional sports trophy in North America, is awarded annually to the league playoff champion at the end of each season.
History with the Macy's Parade[]
The National Hockey League made its Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade debut in the 2011 Parade, partnering with Discover Card to promote the Discover NHL Thanksgiving Showdown, which aired on the Friday following Thanksgiving. The co-branded float was designed and crafted by the artisans of Macy’s Parade Studio, and was one of the first floats to be constructed in the facility’s Moonachie location.
“We are looking to build an entirely new platform around Thanksgiving and have it include not only a game broadcast but something more,” said David Lehanski, the NHL’s vice president of sales.[1]
The float, titled “Frozen Fall Fun,” tells the story of a group of kids finding an abandoned boatshed, transforming it and a hometown backyard into an ice rink for the ultimate hockey showdown. Delighting hockey fans of all ages, kids on the home team take a slapshot at the 12-foot tall Turkey Goalie, surrounded by freshly-fallen snow and autumnal decor of pumpkins, hay bales and corn stalks. The 36-foot long and 20-foot wide float features a working ice skating rink, made of Teflon.
Float escorts provided even more fall fun, dressed as giant hockey pucks and referees on unicycles. Joining the float on its annual Turkey Trot down the streets of Manhattan are NHL alumni, some of whom have been accepted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
The Frozen Fall Fun float had its sponsorship duties taken over by Macy’s for the 2012 Parade. This was a result of the NHL’s then-ongoing lockout, which had shortened the 2012-2013 season.[2] The lockout terminated in April of 2013, with Discover Card and the NHL once again sponsoring the float for the 2013 procession.
In April 2019, insurance company MassMutual and the National Hockey league announced a multiyear-long partnership, also announcing the NHL Most Valuable Hockey Mom presented by MassMutual campaign, which celebrated hockey moms all across America.[3] Capitalizing on this partnership, the NHL float would receive a revamp for the 2019 Macy’s Parade. The float’s orange float skirt was upgraded to blue and new signage was added, further representing the MassMutual brand.
For the reimagined 2020 Macy’s Parade, the NHL/MassMutual float was set to receive yet another facelift. Titled “Winning Winter Together,” the float evokes a lush winter landscape as youngsters try to slide one by a super-sized Snowman, equipped with goalie gear as he protects a giant hockey net.
Due to concerns surrounding rising COVID-19 cases throughout November 2020 in New York City, several Parade elements were pulled from the line of march to reduce participants even further. Among these were Balsam Hill’s "Deck the Halls" float, 1-2-3 Sesame Street and the newly-refurbished Winning Winter Together float.
The Winning Winter Together float made its official debut in the 2021 Macy’s Parade, spreading holiday cheer along the Parade route, joined by NHL alumni. The float would be retired from the line of march following its only appearance.
In total, the NHL has been represented 10 times in the parade's history.
Guest Stars[]
Listed below are the guest stars that have appeared on the float, alongside the respective songs which they sang during the NBC Telecast.
Frozen Fall Fun[]
- 2011 - Cee Lo Green, sang "I'm A Fool For You"
- 2012 - Carly Rae Jepsen, sang "This Kiss"
- 2013 - Kellie Pickler, sang "Little Bit Gypsy"
- 2014 - The Madden Brothers, sang "We Are Done"
- 2015 - Jake Owen, sang "Real Life"
- 2016 - Daya, sang "Words"
- 2017 - Wyclef Jean, sang "What Happened To Love"
- 2018 - Bazzi, sang "Beautiful"
NHL's Most Valuable Hockey Mom (2019)[]
- 2019 - Black-Eyed Peas, sang "RITMO"
Winning Winter Together (2021)[]
- 2021 - Mickey Guyton, sang "All American"
NHL Hall of Famers[]
In addition to boasting a celebrity appearance, every year the NHL float hosts two NHL Hall of Famers. The Hall of Famers that have appeared on the float are listed below.
- 2011 - Cam Neely and Larry Murphy
- 2013 - Mike Richter and Cam Neely
- 2014 - Pat LaFontaine and John LeClair
- 2015 - Mark Howe and Marty Howe
- 2016 - Adam Graves and Eric Lindros
- 2017 - Ray Bourque and Bryan Trottier
- 2018 - Bernie Parent and Mike Richter
- 2019 - Dominic Moore and Eddie Olczyk
- 2021 - Anson Carter and Bryce Salvador
References[]
- ↑ https://nesn.com/2011/11/nhl-float-in-macys-thanksgiving-day-parade-will-feature-12-foot-turkey-cee-lo-green-performance-phot/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CWe%20are%20looking%20to%20build,NHL's%20vice%20president%20of%20sales.
- ↑ https://www.sbnation.com/nhl/2013/1/6/3728892/nhl-lockout-timeline-2012-2013
- ↑ https://www.massmutual.com/about-us/news-and-press-releases/press-releases/2019/04/massmutual-and-the-national-hockey-league-announce-multiyear-partnership