LA Kings Announce Partnership With the California Department of Health Care Services’ CalHOPE Program as Team’s First-Ever Official Helmet Partner

First-of-its Kind Partnership Will Bring Increased Awareness to CalHOPE’s Services and Help Educate Communities Across Southern California on the Importance of Mental and Emotional Health

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The LA Kings have launched a historic new partnership with the CalHOPE Crisis Counseling Program (CalHOPE), a California-based mental health and wellness initiative that will be named the first-ever, official helmet partner of the NHL team for the 2020-21 season. CalHOPE serves as a crisis support resource for communities impacted by public health emergencies (PHE) or national disasters, and is run by the California Department of Health Care Services. The landmark agreement, brokered by AEG Global Partnerships, is CalHOPE’s first partnership with a professional sports franchise in Southern California and will focus on helping educate and connect those in need with vital mental health and wellness resources during these challenging times. The deal also marks the first time in franchise history that the LA Kings will feature a partner brand of any kind on the team’s equipment.

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LA Kings All Star defenceman Drew Doughty's game helmet features new team partner CalHOPE Crisis Counseling Program (Photo: Business Wire)

To kick off the partnership, LA Kings players will debut the new helmets featuring the CalHOPE logo at the start of the upcoming NHL season, which begins today, January 14. LA Kings fans can get their first look at the new design tonight, as the Kings-Wild game will be broadcast live from STAPLES Center on FOX Sports West. Game time is 7 p.m. with the LA Kings Live pregame show on FSW starting at 6:30 p.m. CalHOPE’s brand marks will be prominently displayed on both sides of the players’ helmets for all regular season home and away games during the 2020-2021 season. As the exclusive helmet partner, CalHOPE will also receive never-before-seen virtual on-ice signage and extensive digital branding across the team’s online channels.

The global COVID-19 pandemic is a major public health emergency that has taken a significant toll on both the mental and emotional well-being of many people around the world. This is particularly true in California, where millions of people have been battling the crisis together for more than ten months dealing with numerous challenging issues including increasing amounts of stress and anxiety, in many instances. In moments like this, CalHOPE focuses on building community resiliency and promotes a message that people are not alone and that hope will persevere. The program is helping Californians get through the pandemic with free outreach, crisis counseling, and support services including the California Surgeon General’s Playbook, which offers stress management tips. Additionally, there’s a telephone “warm line,” which connects the public to trained staff with more resources. The CalHOPE website, www.calhope.org, also provides a wealth of information to support and educate visitors on managing stress, anxiety and depression.

“If you are experiencing stress or anxiety as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, you are not alone. Due to the stress of the pandemic, your body may be making more stress hormones than usual, which can lead to worsening of physical and/or mental health problems, from diabetes to heart disease to anxiety or depression,” said Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, California Surgeon General. “The resources at CalHOPE.org can help. While the COVID-19 vaccines have arrived to help protect us, caring for our mental and emotional health continues to be critical.”

This new partnership underscores the LA Kings’ commitment to promoting the overall mental health and emotional well-being, not only of the team and its staff, but also the many fans across Southern California. As part of the agreement, the Kings will produce PSA content throughout the season to help drive awareness for CalHOPE’s services and educate fans across the greater Los Angeles region on the importance of both mental and emotional health. The PSA will reach fans through LA Kings official digital channels including the team’s YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages, and LAKings.com.

“Our new partnership with CalHOPE goes well beyond the ice, which is especially important to us during these unprecedented times,” said LA Kings President and Hockey Hall of Famer Luc Robitaille. “The LA Kings have always believed we have a responsibility to help promote positive resources to assist our community, which has been an important part of our mission for more than 50 years. It is exciting that both the Kings and CalHOPE share common values when it comes to serving, and that both organizations believe in the importance of helping those in need. This is a special, unique way that we can help empower them with the resources and opportunities to better so many lives.”

In addition, the LA Kings, along with the Kings Care Foundation and CalHOPE, will team up for a free-to-the-public community event that will focus onsupporting the mental well-being of the greater Los Angeles community. The event will be scheduled this season at the Toyota Sports Performance Center (COVID-19 restrictions permitting) or will be held virtually.

“DHCS is proud to partner with the Los Angeles Kings,” said Dr. Jim Kooler, Assistant Deputy Director of Behavioral Health. “Everyone has been affected in some way by the pandemic. Even those who have not been infected and have not lost their income, are still dealing with stresses such as distance learning for children, and caring for elderly parents. CalHOPE is a resource for anyone feeling stress.”

“We are incredibly proud to be highlighting a critically important resource like CalHOPE on our players’ helmets this season,” said Josh Veilleux, senior vice president, AEG Global Partnerships. “The LA Kings recognize that these are unusually trying times for many of our most loyal supporters and we remain committed to serving the people of Los Angeles. This unique collaboration, which was put together with the help of Scott Emery on the Global Partnerships team, allows us to shine a light on the importance of mental health during this time, and helps us give back in a meaningful way to the communities we serve and the people who need these resources most right now.”

CalHOPE has had a significant impact on California residents, particularly over the last few months. Already it has seen over 490,000 users on its website to date and the campaign itself has delivered over 400 million impressions across digital, radio, and television since its launch in June of 2020, proving that there is a real and immediate need for this type of support now more than ever before across the state of California.

For more information, CalHOPE resources may be accessed by calling the program’s warm line at (833) 317-HOPE (4673) or by visiting www.calhope.org.

ABOUT CalHOPE

CalHOPE is a multi-level campaign to connect people with vital mental health and wellness resources plus information to help them find their way during these difficult times. CalHOPE is a federally supported effort (Federal Emergency Management Administration and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) that offers critical behavioral health crisis counseling programs to states and tribes after a federal declaration of emergency. CalHOPE uses a public health approach that’s focused on strength-based strategies of building resiliency and connecting people to the supports they need.

ABOUT AEG

Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, AEG is the world's leading sports and live entertainment company. The company operates in the following business segments: Facilities, which through its affiliation with ASM Global, owns, manages or consults with more than 300 preeminent arenas, stadiums, convention centers and performing arts venues around the world; Music through AEG Presents, which is dedicated to all aspects of live contemporary music performances, including producing and promoting global and regional concert tours, music and special events and world-renowned festivals such as the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival; Real Estate, which develops world-class venues, as well as major sports and entertainment districts like STAPLES Center and L.A. LIVE, Mercedes Platz in Berlin and The O2 in London; Sports, as the world's largest operator of high-profile sporting events and sports franchises including the LA Kings, LA Galaxy and Eisbären Berlin; and Global Partnerships, which oversees worldwide sales and servicing of sponsorships including naming rights, premium seating and other strategic partnerships. Through its worldwide network of venues, portfolio of powerful sports and music brands, and its integrated entertainment districts, AEG entertains more than 160 million guests annually. More information about AEG can be found at www.aegworldwide.com.

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CalHOPE
Norman Williams
916-440-7660
www.dhcs.ca.gov

BECK Media & Marketing for AEG Global Partnerships
Shannon Donnelly
Shannon.Donnelly@beckmedia.com 

Source: AEG