Sports
July 24, 2008 06:58 PM
Former Markham resident rebranding Central Hockey League
By: Mike Hayakawa
Kevin Huhn is a big believer in branding and that’s why the former Markham resident concentrated on finding a way to bolster the profile of a minor pro hockey league unfamiliar to many people.
Serving as the Central Hockey League’s director of business development, Huhn devised a new logo and theme depicting the CHL as the Center of Hockey.
For Huhn, author of Hockey-ology – The Ultimate Guide to Fun & Success for Minor Hockey, the idea of a new logo and brand was in his head before starting his job at the league’s Arizona office. Once hired, he said it was a carefully drawn out process.
“I thought, how can I help them ... bring value to the marketplace? The short answer was I understand business. Do what works. Having a strong brand works,” he recalled.
Huhn, a Markham junior A Waxers assistant coach 10 years ago, went beyond the boundaries of hockey and picked up ideas and inspiration from how other high profile companies operate.
“The CHL needed something people could sink their teeth into. They needed something that allows fans to feel a part of it.
“We even had some fans ... who did not know what league their team was in. Why? Because hockey, for the most part in our markets, is simply entertainment. They have no idea what team they are playing.
“Plus, being in small markets, the fans, sponsors and employees needed something unique. They care about their teams. The CHL needed to show it did, too.”
In discussions with the league’s braintrusts, Huhn discovered, they conceded the rival East Coast Hockey League had done a good job of being known as the premier AA hockey league”. The CHL, meanwhile, had no brand.
That put Huhn into full working mode.
“I looked at all components about the CHL, the name, what it stood for, what it had done history-wise, where it was located, who was involved and so on.
“I examined Global Entertainment (the league’s parent company) ... and found out that company’s leadership is made up of many Canadian people. And just over 50 per cent of the players in the league are from Canada.
The resulting logo has earned praise from the NHL and Hockey Canada.
“I love the branding the CHL has taken to define their league,” Hockey Canada president Bob Nicholson said.
While creating a brand was a priority, Huhn noted there’s still plenty of work yet to be done.
Among the ideas he’s work on are improving the league’s all-star game format, using a four-on-four even strength hockey during exhibition games, league-wide partnerships, mentorship programs, charitable functions and Upper Deck hockey card programs.
Check out
www.centralhockeyleague.com for more information on the league.