The Ottawa Senators will wear the Calian Group logo on their road jerseys, the NHL team announced Thursday.
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The Ottawa Senators will wear the Calian Group logo on their road jerseys, the NHL team announced Thursday.
It’s a three-year deal for the Kanata-based provider of health-care and IT services, training and advanced technology.
“This partnership is more than a sponsorship; it’s the alignment of two organizations that share many of the same values and winning characteristics like perseverance, resiliency and agility,” said Calian CEO Kevin Ford in a statement.
“We both have a proud history in Ottawa, and with our road jersey sponsorship, we can take this partnership well beyond our city limits reaching proud Sens fans and Calian employees and customers throughout Canada and the U.S.”
It’s not the first business relationship between the Senators and Calian. The two organizations have been working together for more than 10 years, with Calian providing cybersecurity and information technology services to the team.
The agreement will mark the first time in Senators’ history that the team’s road jersey will feature a sponsor logo. The Calian logo will hit the ice with the team for the first time in the preseason on Sept. 22 against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
“We are very excited to partner with Calian, a locally grown Canadian company who knows what it takes to compete on the global stage,” said Senators president and CEO Cyril Leeder in a statement posted online. “Through this landmark agreement, Calian is taking our business relationship to a new level and demonstrating their commitment to our team and continued commitment to our community.
“Over the next three years we will elevate each other on and off the ice and continue to support each other’s ambition of growth, excellence and success on the national and international stage.”
Calian employees were surprised with the announcement at an event on Thursday, where company executives and Senators players donned the jersey for the first time.
Ford joked that many employees over the years have mentioned receiving blank stares when they explain where they work. The partnership with the Senators, he said, is a step toward Calian’s ultimate goal of expanding its global reach and bringing greater awareness to the brand name and identity.
“It’s an incredibly proud moment,” he told OBJ. “You hear the buzz in the room, you see the pride, you see people taking pictures. I think for all our staff, this is a moment where we can celebrate who we are and 42 years as an Ottawa-based company. For me, it’s a big milestone.”
Calian, which is headquartered just a stone’s throw from the Canadian Tire Centre, is the second Kanata-based company to have its logo appear on the Sens’ uniforms.
Two years ago, the NHL club inked a deal with Kinaxis to put the publicly traded software firm’s logo on the Senators’ white road helmets.
Meanwhile, the team’s home jerseys are sponsored by CIBC, which signed a multi-year contract with the Sens last year to feature its logo on the sweaters worn in games at the CTC.
