Corporate sponsors, from the neighbourhood garage to dentists and banks, make minor hockey more affordable for minor hockey.
In house leagues, sponsors often get a team named for them. In competitive leagues, a sponsor bar gets sewn on jerseys. In Canada, Tim Hortons starts kids off on their hockey journey by sponsoring tyke leagues - Tim Bits Hockey.
The most generous sponsor I've dealt with personally is a commercial bank headquartered in London. Pacific & Western Bank of Canada has had some kind of sponsorship involvement with my son's hockey teams since he graduated from Tim Bits.
The bank's involvement has gone beyond officially sponsoring the team. When the John Labatt Centre opened in London, Pacific & Western bought a private box. During the arena's opening season, every child and a parent were given tickets to watch a London Knights major junior game from the luxury box.
Over the years, the bank provided T-shirts embroidered with the words "Pacific & Western Hockey", toques and hockey pucks - all in addition to officially sponsoring the team.
One season, after the West London Minor Hockey Association experienced a spike in registration and needed more sponsors, Pacific & Western doubled its involvement.
When another parent's store, Meloche Jewellers, offered to to take a sponsorship turn, Pacific & Western switched gears and paid for a tournament. Full use of the private box was also donated as an auction item.
All this for the betterment of the community in which the bank does business.
It's the universal motivation for sponsors of youth sports.
To all who sponsor, I tip my hat and wish you a Merry Christmas.
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