Has there ever been a better investment than Bank of Nova Scotia’s sponsorship of the National Hockey League? Maybe, but it’s hard to argue with the exposure and all-around good vibrations that have come with the title of “official bank of the NHL.”

The relationship began five years ago but has been ramped up to another level during this hockey season. This past October, Scotiabank became the official bank of the Winnipeg Jets. Within hours, a giant mural had been painted on the bank’s windows at the ground level of its headquarters at Portage and Main, the busiest corner in Winnipeg.

Perhaps the most talked-about element of that sponsorship is the Scotia Skater: at each Jets home game, one young boy or girl who plays hockey or ringette — wearing a Jets jersey, with a Scotiabank logo on the back, of course — leads the team out onto the ice in front of 15,004 rabid fans.

There’s a buzz in schoolyards all over Winnipeg whenever one of their own is randomly selected to perform what has been widely called “the coolest job in the world.”

The bank also has NHL piggybanks. Think there are any kids out there that have opened up accounts with Scotiabank just to get one? Considering how seldom Canadians switch financial institutions, how much is it worth to get customers in the door and engaged at such a young age?

It’s hard to measure the goodwill that the bank gets from all this; but, in a city that has embraced the return of the NHL with absolute gusto, it is significant.

Terry Bjornson, the bank’s district vice president in Winnipeg, is a big believer of the bank’s sponsorship and of the Scotia Skater program, in particular.

Says Bjornson: “It’s a way for us to involve more of the community and the children. It’s a thrill for them; it’s a thrill for us to watch them. It’s one way of connecting more with the community with which we do business and give back to that community.”

Scotiabank is also the official bank of the NHL Players Association, the NHL Alumni and the Canadian Women’s Hockey League.

In addition, the bank has partnerships with three other Canadian NHL teams (Calgary Flames, Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs), a pair of American Hockey League teams and two arenas — Scotiabank Place in Ottawa and the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary.

The enthusiasm for all things sports comes from the top. President and CEO Rick Waugh, a proud Winnipegger, loves the bank’s partnership with True North Sports & Entertainment Ltd., which owns the Jets.

“I remember watching the [previous incarnation of the] Jets with my family when I was growing up in Winnipeg,” says Waugh. “This is a great fit for us as Canada’s hockey bank.”

Scotiabank doesn’t stop at hockey, either. It has also been the official bank of the Canadian Football League and has partnerships with six of that league’s eight teams, including the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Sponsorship is all about associating oneself with a winner. With the CFL at its apex and the NHL more popular than it has ever been (in Canada, of course), Scotiabank is definitely on top of its game.  IE