Bridgestone Americas, Inc.

Bridgestone Brand Celebrates Leadership By Honoring NHL’s Captains

NASHVILLE / NEW YORK / TORONTO (Nov. 10, 2008) — Bridgestone brand, The Official Tire of the NHL and the NHLPA, is proud to announce a number of new initiatives designed to celebrate the revered captains of the NHL. The program kicks off with the Bridgestone Greatest NHL Captains promotion, which will allow fans to visit NHL.com and select the greatest NHL captains for each of the past four decades. In addition, Bridgestone will present captains programming and content via the NHL Network and NHL.com.

“In no other sport is the position of captain more important and respected than in the NHL,” said John Baratta, President, Consumer Replacement Tire Sales, Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC (BFNT). “Bridgestone is a leader in performance, quality and technology, so joining with fans to celebrate the greatest captains is a perfect fit for our brand,” Baratta continued.

Features of each program include:

Bridgestone Greatest NHL Captains: The promotion will begin November 10 and run through December 21, 2008 on NHL.com. NHL editorial staff will select 32 captains from the past four decades and fans can visit www.nhl.com/GreatestCaptains to vote on their choices for the greatest of their generation. Message boards will allow fans to debate and voice their opinions. The promotion will culminate with the greatest captains of each decade being announced in a special tribute during the NHL SuperSkills™ competition on Saturday, January 24, 2009 at the Bell Centre in Montreal during the NHL All-Star Weekend. Fans who vote in the contest will automatically be eligible to win a trip to the All Star Game as well as NHL Merchandise and NHL.com NHL GameCenter Live™ subscriptions.
NHL Network and NHL.com Media Program: Twenty-part original series “Captains Driven By Bridgestone” on the NHL Network (US and Canada) from November 2008 through April 2009. Each show will include a feature on one NHL Captain through exclusive interviews and profiles. In addition, weekly “NHL Captain” features on NHL.com will focus on the attributes of a great NHL captain.

"The Bridgestone brand’s player-driven program is a great initiative that is designed to increase its brand awareness while highlighting the legendary leadership skills of current and former NHLPA members,” said Mike Ouellet, NHLPA Chief of Business Affairs. “The NHLPA looks forward to continuing to help strengthen the Bridgestone brand through the development of programs utilizing the best hockey players in the world.”

“The NHL is committed to developing new and innovative programs that leverage all League assets to drive our compelling avid fan demographic to interact with the NHL and its partners,” said NHL Chief Operating Officer John Collins. “The Bridgestone Greatest NHL Captains promotion is another strong example of how NHL partners are leveraging integrated platforms to drive engagement and brand awareness.”

About Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC:
Nashville, Tenn.-based Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC (BFNT) is a subsidiary of Bridgestone Americas Holding, Inc., whose parent company, Bridgestone Corporation, is the world’s largest tire and rubber company. BFNT develops, manufactures and markets Bridgestone, Firestone and associate brand tires. The company is focused on wholesale and original equipment markets, supplying passenger, light truck, commercial vehicle, off road, motorcycle, agricultural and other tires to its customers in North America. In addition, through its Bridgestone Bandag Tire Solutions unit, retreading customers have access to industry-leading research and development, manufacturing, marketing and sales expertise, providing them with a total tire solution.

About Bridgestone Firestone Canada Inc.:
Mississauga, Ontario-based Bridgestone Firestone Canada Inc. (BFCA) is an affiliate of Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC (BFNT). BFCA and Nashville, Tenn.-based BFNT are subsidiaries of Bridgestone Americas Holding, Inc., whose parent company, Bridgestone Corporation, is the world's largest tire and rubber company. BFCA and BFNT develop, manufacture and market Bridgestone, Firestone and associate brand tires. They are focused on wholesale and original equipment markets, supplying passenger, light truck, commercial vehicle, off the road, agricultural and other tires to their customers in Canada and the United States, respectively. In addition, through its Bridgestone Bandag Tire Solutions Canada unit, retreading customers have access to industry-leading research and development, manufacturing, marketing and sales expertise, providing them with a total tire solution.

About the NHL:
The National Hockey League, founded in 1917, is the second-oldest of the four major professional team sports leagues in North America. Today, the NHL consists of 30 Member Clubs, each reflecting the League’s international makeup, with players from more than 20 countries represented on team rosters. According to a Simmons Market Research study, NHL fans are younger, more educated, more affluent, and access content through digital means more than any other sport. The NHL entertains more than 100 million fans each season in-arena and through its partners in national television (VERSUS, NBC, TSN, CBC, RDS, RIS, NASN, ASN and NHL Network) and radio (Westwood One, Sirius XM Radio and XM Canada). Through the NHL Foundation, the League’s charitable arm, the NHL raises money and awareness for Hockey Fights Cancer and NHL Youth Development, and supports the charitable efforts of NHL players. For more information on the NHL, log on to NHL.com.

About the NHLPA:
The National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA), established in 1967, is a labour organization whose members are the players in the National Hockey League (NHL). The NHLPA works on behalf of the players in varied disciplines such as labour relations, product licensing, marketing, international hockey and community relations, all in furtherance of its efforts to promote its members and the game of hockey. In 1999, the NHLPA launched the Goals & Dreams fund, a $16-million hockey program which is the largest grassroots hockey program in the world. The players’ program has donated full sets of hockey equipment to more than 9,000 economically disadvantaged children in 17 countries and assisted with upgrades and the building of hundreds of arenas worldwide. For more information on the NHLPA, please visit nhlpa.com.

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