Red Wings Announce Helmet Ad Deal with United Wholesale Mortgage

The Detroit Red Wings have become the sixth team to announce the addition of an advertisement to their in-game helmets for the upcoming 2020-21 NHL season. They are the first of the “Original Six” clubs to do so.

Detroit will wear the initials from the company United Wholesale Mortgage on their helmets, for both home and road games. What we get is a relatively giant “UWM” on either side of their helmets, replacing what the team typically wears in this spot — their traditional “Red Wings” wordmark.

The deal includes an on-ice logo at during Red Wings home games at Little Caesars Arena, ads on the boards and within the penalty box, digital branding throughout the arena bowl and concourse, as well as the naming rights to the parking garage located at 128 W. Fisher Service Drive.

“We are excited to welcome UWM as the official mortgage partner of the Detroit Red Wings, and for this innovative, Michigan-based business to be the first-ever featured partner on our iconic red and white helmets,” Chris Granger, Group President, Sports & Entertainment, Ilitch Holdings, Inc said in the official release. “It’s a pleasure to work with UWM and we look forward to partnering with them for years to come.”

The Red Wings join the Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators, New Jersey Devils, Washington Capitals, and Winnipeg Jets as teams to announce ads on their helmets. Late last year the NHL gave teams the option to strike deals for helmet ads for the 2020-21 season only to help recoup lost revenue due to decreased or zero attendance games stemming from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.