2012 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic
ARAMARK, the concessions and merchandise partner for the 2012 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic has the winning game plan to fulfill fans’ hunger for Philadelphia’s best ballpark eats with warm, comforting foods and officially licensed merchandise.
To help fans brave the cold at Citizens Bank Park on January 2nd, ARAMARK has added specialty hot menu items, like homemade gourmet soups and paninis to the game day menu at seven locations. These “Hot Spots” will offer:
- Two soup options– tomato bisque or chicken, cannellini bean and Tuscan kale soup
- Hot Paninis– maple roasted turkey panini or whole grain mustard marinated petit filet and Vermont cheddar grilled cheese panini
Because an outdoor hockey game wouldn’t be complete without hot chocolate, ARAMARK chefs have created a Flyers-inspired hot chocolate that’s topped with whipped cream, orange sprinkles and drizzled with chocolate syrup. Fans can also dig in to hot apple pie, s’mores, coffee and tea, which will be available at select hot chocolate stands. Read more
MTG Acquires Exclusive Distribution Rights to NHL Ice Hockey
Modern Times Group MTG AB announced that it has acquired the exclusive distribution rights to the National Hockey League (NHL) in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland from Medge Consulting. The rights include, but are not limited to, exclusive live coverage on free-TV, pay-TV and the internet, until the end of the 2015-16 season. MTG has held rights to NHL games since October 2009.
MTG has the rights to show live coverage of approximately 1,300 NHL games each season on its pay-TV channels and Viaplay online multi-screen video streaming service across the Nordic region. Certain games also will be made available on MTG’s free-TV channels.
The launch of the 2011-12 NHL season included the New York Rangers playing the Los Angeles Kings and the Anaheim Ducks at the Ericsson Globe in Stockholm, and the Anaheim Ducks playing the Buffalo Sabres at Helsinki’s Hartwall Areena. All three games were distributed live on Viasat channels and Viaplay.
Swedish viewers will be able to watch live NHL games on ice hockey pay-TV channel Viasat Hockey and premium pay-TV channel Viasat Sport, with selected games also shown on free-TV channel TV10. Read more
Steven Stamkos the New Face of EA SPORTS NHL 12
Electronic Arts announced, at the 2011 NHL Awards hosted at the Pearl Concert Theater in the Palms Hotel in Las Vegas, that Steven Stamkos of the Tampa Bay Lightning will be the new face of the EA SPORTS NHL 12 videogame. Stamkos’ image will appear on packaging worldwide when NHL 12 hits retail stores this September.
“I’ve grown up playing EA SPORTS NHL videogames so it’s an honor to be chosen for the cover this year,” said Stamkos. “I love how authentic the game is and thought it was great when I scored a one-knee, one-timer goal as myself in NHL12!”
At just 21 years old, Steven Stamkos is one of the fastest rising stars in the NHL. He was drafted first overall in 2008 and on February 6 of this year, Stamkos became the first player in the NHL to reach the 40 goal mark in the current season. His skill on the ice earned him the Maurice Richard Trophy, awarded to the player with the most goals in the NHL®, which he shared with Sidney Crosby in 2010. This year, Stamkos was nominated for the Ted Lindsay Award, presented annually to the “Most Outstanding Player” in the NHL, as voted by fellow members of the NHLPA. His performance in the 2011 Stanley Cup® Playoffs is another example of his perseverance and skill as he battled his way with the Tampa Bay Lightning to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Bruins. Read more
iPlayBook IceHockey Gives Coaches, Players and Fans a New Way to Draw Plays
Just days after its release, a new ice hockey coaching whiteboard app has reached number 11 on the list of the most popular sports apps for mobile devices. iPlayBook IceHockey (http://www.iplaybook.net), designed for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, is now available on iTunes. For a limited time, the app can be downloaded for only $0.99.
An indispensable tool for coaches and the perfect low-cost gift for ice hockey players and fans, iPlayBook IceHockey allows the user to draw plays, position players and create drills — all in the palm of the hand. Users can choose from three different ice formations and diagram face-offs, power plays and penalty kills, then share their plays with coaches, players and fans.
Working like a cross between a whiteboard and on-screen animation, iPlayBook IceHockey lets the user reposition players by touching and dragging them around the screen. Users can even draw passes with the touch of a finger. When a play or drill is just right, the user can save it to the photo library as an image or e-mail it to friends directly from within the iPlayBook IceHockey app.
iPlayBook IceHockey is a novel way for coaches to collaborate with one another and for players to visually review plays during the game, if needed, without tipping their hand to the other team. But it also gives fans the opportunity to get more involved in their favorite sport. Fans watching the game can create plays they think would work better or re-create successful plays while discussing the game with friends.
“iPlayBook IceHockey is an outstanding tool for coaches and players at all levels,” stated Jim Boyle, founder and president of iPlayBook Apps. “We are thrilled to bring our outstanding iPlayBook App technology to the popular sport of ice hockey.”
Stanford University is Top School for Academically Minded Athletes
Most Recognized, Comprehensive College Rankings & Resource for High School Athletes Awards Highest Honor to Stanford University for 2nd Straight Year Survey Lists Overall Elite 50 & Individual Team Rankings for 21 Varsity Sports
STACK Media, the leading producer and distributor of sports performance, instruction and lifestyle content for high school athletes, announced the findings from its third annual “STACK Elite 50 College Rankings” – which is the most recognized, comprehensive college rankings and resource of its kind and a powerful research tool for any high school athlete looking to compete and study at the next level. For the second straight year, Stanford University came out on top by finishing number one in seven of the 21 sport-specific rankings. Aside from the overall Elite 50 standings, which highlights the best schools in terms of a strong overall athletic presence, individual team rankings for 21 varsity sports are also listed. The full rankings can be found in STACK Media’s Holiday print edition, which is out today.
In addition to rankings and stories about top ranked schools in the Holiday edition of STACK Magazine, STACK Media has also compiled exclusive interviews with Elite 50 colleges’ coaches, athletes and academic advisors on the dedicated section of the Web site – http://elite50.stack.com/.
“Serious high school athletes want to elevate their game to the next level with credible information on training and performance, but reliable sources on their best options for schools with top academic and athletic programs are extremely limited for them to turn to,” said Nick Palazzo, Co-founder and Co-CEO of STACK Media. “The college recruiting and selection process is demanding, time consuming and stressful, and we aim to make it easier for students in researching and calculating the top colleges out there with the STACK Elite 50 College Rankings. Whatever your sport of choice may be, we’ve listed the right college for you.”
*Stanford University claims top spot
Stanford University was the first ever repeat winner by coming out number one in eight sports and fielding 17 top-15 squads, along with being ranked by U.S. News as America’s fourth best academic college/university. Florida nailed down the number two overall ranking with only one top-ranked sport (softball), but had 15 top-15 squads and was ranked 47 by U.S. News. The school jumped from last year’s number five listing.
The North Carolina Tar Heels, who were number one in ’07 and number three in ’08, claim their third consecutive top-five overall finish. UNC dominates the baseball diamond with an Elite 50 “Triple Crown” – three years running as the top baseball program. This was combined with a well-respected U.S. News spot at 28 and 11 top-15 teams. The Texas Longhorns came in at number four, but dropped from number two overall last year. And rounding out the top five is the University of South Carolina thanks to a sneaky four-sport attack, led by the football squad’s three-peat. Women’s golf, men’s tennis and men’s T&F also ranked number one.
“It was another competitive year for the top spot, with many worthy contenders,” Palazzo added. “We congratulate Stanford University for yet another number one ranking. The men and women of Palo Alto can be very proud for upholding the title of best college for academically minded athletes. And any high school athlete looking to play at the collegiate level has 50 fantastic schools from our Elite 50 list that they should have on their radar screen, as they are all top-notch schools in terms of both academics and sports.”
*College rankings by sport
Below are the top five college rankings in each of the sports that were included in the Elite 50 rankings:
Football
1. USC
2. Florida
3. Ohio State
4. Texas
5. Georgia
Men’s Basketball
1. UNC
2. UCLA
3. Kansas
4. Duke
5. Memphis
Women’s Basketball
1. Stanford
2. UConn
3. UNC
4. Duke
5. Maryland
Baseball
1. UNC
2. Rice
3. Virginia
4. ASU
5. Florida State
Men’s Soccer
1. Wake Forest
2. Maryland
3. Notre Dame
4. Northwestern
5. Indiana
Women’s Soccer
1. UNC
2. Notre Dame
3. UCLA
4. Stanford
5. USC
Men’s Swimming
1. Stanford
2. Michigan
3. Cal
4. Florida
5. Texas
Women’s Swimming
1. Stanford
2. Cal
3. Florida
4. Georgia
5. Texas
Hockey
1. Michigan
2. Notre Dame
3. Boston University
4. Miami (OH)
5. Boston College
Men’s Track
1. USC
2. Texas
3. Stanford
4. Florida
5. Texas A&M
Women’s Track
1. Michigan
2. Stanford
3. USC
4. Texas A&M
5. Florida
Wrestling
1. Michigan
2. Ohio State
3. Northwestern
4. Penn State
5. Cornell
Lacrosse
1. Duke
2. Virginia
3. Notre Dame
4. Cornell
5. UNC
Volleyball
1. Stanford
2. Penn State
3. Florida
4. Nebraska
5. Washington
Softball
1. Florida
2. Michigan
3. Alabama
4. Stanford
5. Arizona State University
In order to determine the sport-specific rankings, STACK Media uses five main indicators of excellence. One source is the 2010 U.S. News & World Report on America’s best colleges, which each year ranks the nation’s top colleges and universities, strictly in terms of academic prowess. Also considered is the Academic Progress Rate (APR) system that measures how well a collegiate athletic team’s members progress toward graduation during their playing careers. A third indicator is the end-of-the-season national rankings and polls from various national outlets that sum up the entire season’s results. A team’s win-loss record is also considered, where the number of games over .500 for each team is calculated over the past three seasons, and then awarded points based on that total. Finally, there’s the ‘STACK Factor,’ or the strength of the overall athletic community in terms of the level of athletic support and ability throughout all 21 varsity sports covered.
Source: STACK Media