The National Hockey League Teams with the William Morris Agency to Expand Brand Presence in Entertainment Community

Business Wire, Feb 1, 2006

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- The William Morris Agency (WMA), the world's leading talent and literary agency, announced today that it has signed the National Hockey League for representation in several key areas of the entertainment industry.

"With the NHL's exciting return to the ice, the league's future is bright and there are significant opportunities to utilize entertainment-based ventures to further extend the profile of its brand and its players," said Jim Wiatt, CEO of the William Morris Agency. "We are thrilled that Gary Bettman and his team have chosen William Morris as an important strategic partner to help accomplish the NHL's goals and to evaluate these new opportunities."

The NHL will work with WMA on the integration of NHL players and the NHL brand with various entertainment channels, including film, television, videos and new media; the development of integrated media and marketing relationships in the entertainment community; and the development of NHL-influenced television and film programming.

"Working with the William Morris Agency will only accentuate the enthusiastic response the `new' NHL has received," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. "We are confident WMA's strong entertainment relationships will help us build even greater awareness of our game and our players while attracting new fans."

Over the past 12 years, WMA -- through its corporate advisory division, William Morris Consulting (WMC) -- has provided Fortune 500 companies, sports leagues and other organizations with strategies to help them adapt and succeed in an evolving media and entertainment landscape. Headquartered in Beverly Hills and New York, WMC operates in a broad spectrum of industry segments, including telecommunications, technology, sports, lodging, gaming, publishing, retail, consumer products and apparel.

WMC's clients include Anheuser-Busch, General Motors, the National Football League, Harrah's Entertainment, Hilton Hotels and Dennis Publishing, among others.

Joining Jim Wiatt on William Morris's NHL team will be Paul Furia and Lon Rosen.

About the NHL

The National Hockey League, founded November 22, 1917, is the second oldest of the four major team sports leagues in North America. The NHL consists of 30 Member Clubs based in the United States and Canada. More than 33 percent of NHL players hail from outside North America from 22 different countries. Through the NHL Foundation, the League's charitable arm, the NHL raises money and awareness for Hockey Fights Cancer, Hockey's All-Star Kids and NHL Diversity, and supports the charitable efforts of all NHL players. The NHL has existing relationships with Rogers & Cowan in Los Angeles and Rubenstein Associates in New York City. For more information on the NHL, fans may log on to NHL.com.

About WMA

Founded in 1898, the William Morris Agency is the leading talent and literary agency in the world, with principal offices in New York, Beverly Hills, Nashville, London, Miami Beach and Shanghai. The Agency represents clients in all segments of the entertainment industry, including Motion Pictures, Television, Music and Personal Appearances, Broadway Theatre and Theatrical Touring, Book Publishing, Commercials, Sports Marketing, and Corporate Consulting. The William Morris Agency can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.wma.com.