Why I Left the NHL After 7 Years
Reflections on building a creator marketing program from the ground up
WHAT. A. RUN. 🙌
The past seven years working at the National Hockey League have been the most incredible, rewarding, magical experience of my career without a doubt.
The personal and professional growth I experienced over that period was remarkable, truly amazing to look back on the kid that joined the organization in 2018.
Building a creator marketing program from scratch at such a massive, prominent company changed my trajectory forever, something which could not have been accomplished without the trust, support, and collaboration from colleagues and creators alike which I’ll always be grateful for.
Having the chance to meet, collaborate with, and form genuine personal relationships with so many extraordinary creators was such a blessing – moments and memories from the countless events that I’ll never forget.
If you follow me on other platforms, you may have already seen the headline, but I wanted to use this Substack to dive a bit deeper into my time overseeing creator marketing at the NHL, my decision to move on, and what my next opportunity entails.
I’d love to stay connected to every one of you – Feel free to contact me at my personal email moving forward: foxteno@gmail.com
My story of founding the NHL’s creator marketing program begins around the time of my early days with the organization as a community manager, in charge of the daytime copywriting and publishing to ensure all content is scheduled to the organization’s owned and operated social media accounts. In 2018, the hockey content/social media landscape looked much different than it does today as many of the major accounts/entities (ESPN, Bleacher Report, etc.) were not yet affiliated, while the other movers in the space were just finding their footing (BarDown, Spittin Chiclets, etc.).
As I looked around the hockey community online, I noticed a massive opportunity to grow the game, as well as the NHL’s social media channels, by leaning into user-generated content (UGC). Unlike basketball, which already had a robust foundation with accounts such as Overtime, House of Highlights, etc. pumping fan-lead content on a daily basis, hockey generally lacked this type of user support. We began testing and probing, understanding the process and best practices for delivering UGC on the main channels to see how we could integrate this type of content into our traditional media mix of promoting the teams/players/games/etc.
Fast-forward two years: COVID shuts down sports for an extended period.
Without any games to be played amidst the global pandemic, sports accounts across the globe struggled with how to keep their fans engaged until the inevitable return to play occurred. Luckily for the UGC program, everyone was at home watching content on their phones, filming themselves doing trickshots, or otherwise engaging online. The NHL’s UGC content boomed during this period, leading us to launch our first considerable campaign entitled #HockeyAtHome (the precursor to two other major, sponsored programs we would go on to run for the next five years and counting: #NHLFanSkills and #ODRWeek — One of my all-time favorite submissions below).
Through this process, I was introduced to dozens of budding creators who were eager to have their content shared from @NHL. By far, the most common refrain to this day when I ask a new creator how they began their career the answer is “COVID happened so I was bored and began making videos in my home” which I’ve always found to be a fascinating confluence of events (global pandemic fuels upstart creator economy).
The conversations at first were quite transactional – We’d reach out to share their content (with proper credit and permission of course) then the creator would go on their way. However, as these talented individuals continued to produce and publish exceptional content, my outreach and communication arrived on a more regular basis, establishing the first roots of what would turn into 5+ year relationships.
One year later, I pitched and executed the League’s first experiential creator marketing activation at the 2022 NHL Winter Classic. Despite the -15 degree weather (Fritz of Old Time Hawkey fame somehow managed to stay warm in the video below), we hosted three creators in Minnesota for an exclusive experience at one of the season’s largest tentpole events. It’s wild to think back to how young and green I was at this time in terms of operating within the creator economy, but this moment would prove to become an inflection point in how the NHL engages with creators and more broadly my career on the whole.
Tiktok failed to load.Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
Despite the early success, I was still exploring creator marketing on the side – Full focus on my main role and responsibility as a Social Media Manager within the larger department.
That would all change in August of 2022, when my pitch to pivot my responsibilities at the organization to formally establish a full-time role dedicated to building the NHL’s first creator marketing program was accepted – An amazing vote of confidence by my manager, Kevin Baumer, and the larger leadership that set me on the path I’m on today, a moment for which I cannot thank them enough.
Over the next four years, we collaborated with 180+ creators driving over 500M impressions on creator channels alone. Whether it was hockey creators doing trickshots on the ice at an event, or surprising countless fans who exist outside of the hockey community with the Stanley Cup, we worked to drive social engagement, increase brand awareness, and drive broadcast tune-in to ultimately grow the game of hockey across the world. So many beautiful moments throughout the years, still in awe that we were all able to pull it off together.
Beyond the flashy collaborations that hit the feed, I spent much of my time working to formalize the processes that accompany a new vertical – Whether that was internally between events, legal, etc. or externally in how we go about every step of the creator marketing campaign journey (discovery, outreach, briefing, reviews/approvals, etc. - many of the insights we’ve previously shared on this Substack). I always reveled in the opportunity to educate and collaborate with colleagues who were looking to activate within the creator space, determining how to share the best practices I’ve gathered across our departments.
If I had to select one campaign which I am most proud of, I’d have to go with the NHL Creator Skills event which entailed a creator 3-on-3 hockey tournament we produced in 2024 and 2025. Bringing ~25 of the top hockey creators in North America together for a live competition (IRL audience first year, YouTube livestream second year) created an atmosphere unlike any of our other previous activations as the energy in person and through the content was palpable. In 2024, the event was held outdoors in downtown Toronto with the sun shining down on the four-team, inaugural showcase creating a majestic setting. 2025 brought the USA vs. Canada theme to increase the stakes even further in conjunction with the 4 Nations Face-Off. There’s always magic in combining all your favorite creators in one space, even more so when there are actual stakes on the line. I’ve been a massive proponent of this trend across the major sports leagues (NFL, NBA, PGA, etc.) and hope they all continue to thrive.
Reflecting on these seven years at the NHL – So blessed to work alongside so many talented creators and colleagues. I would try to thank you all individually here but this list is far too large. GRATEFUL ❤️
So – Why the change? What’s next?
After ~12 years of living in New York City, my wife and I decided to begin the next chapter of our lives in Philadelphia for a variety of cliché yet real reasons (more space for less money – hello four-story home with a backyard and rooftop, easier car ownership – so stoked to have increased access to surfing and snowboarding, and proximity to our families based in PA and WV). Similar to leaving the NHL, moving away from NYC is bittersweet as it’s truly the only location I’ve lived beyond my hometown. From Prospect Park to our friends to our favorite restaurants, New York City will always hold a place in our hearts (don’t worry, we’ll be racking up Amtrak points like John Madden - lookitup).
This life change unfortunately took me far enough away from the NHL HQ in Hudson Yards to be able to continue satisfying the weekly in-office requirement which seems to be the increasing norm as companies move back in person post-COVID.
For what’s next – I’ll be joining the creator marketing agency HYDP as an Account Director to continue to build out their growing presence in the US after an expansion from their primary home in London. Much love to Thomas Markland (who we interviewed HERE) and Stef Stamatiou for bringing me onto the team and entrusting that I can assist them with their vision of revolutionizing the media landscape through creators.
In looking for a new role, I was keen to join a team of talented creator marketing professionals with the insight and experience to grow alongside as I blossom beyond my more singular endeavors previously. Combine that with the atmosphere of a smaller, younger organization which will allow us all to make tangible impact on the outcome and culture… I was sold.
Super excited about the next adventure ahead! If we’ve worked together previously, I’m sure our paths will cross again as we all continue to progress the creator ecosystem into the stratosphere. If we’ve yet to collaborate, there’s no better time than now – I’d love to connect via my personal email above.
THANK YOU,
Neil 🏄♂️
Can't wait to see you makin' plays at your new gig!!!
What an achievement 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 congratulations Neil! 🎉🎉🎉🎉