The NHL already had a rich digital ecosystem for its most dedicated fans, from Fantasy Hockey to prediction games. But all of it rewarded knowledge the casual fan did not have yet. The league wanted a way in that asked for none.
01
The NHL’s digital ecosystem, from Fantasy Hockey to prediction games, served the die-hards who track every line-up. The casual fan had no entry point.
So the NHL set a clear bar: an experience that needs zero hockey knowledge and offers maximum fun, the kind of engagement play that widens an audience instead of only rewarding the fans it already has.
Arcade ice hockey for the casual fan
NHL
02
Crease Crusher is a fast-paced arcade ice-hockey shooting game inside the NHL digital hub. The swipe-to-shoot mechanic is something anyone picks up in seconds.
Moving targets, sharp goaltenders and escalating levels keep it easy to start and hard to master, so casual players stay and competitive ones keep chasing a better run.
03
Before stepping onto the ice, fans pick their favourite team and the whole game re-skins to its colours.
That single tap is zero-party data: club preference flows into the fan profile without a registration form in sight. Fans get a game that feels like theirs, the NHL gets to know its audience better.
The result
500,000+ Game plays in the first weeks
Campaign KPIs were hit and exceeded within the opening weeks, with a measurably broader active app audience.
Published Updated
Let’s talk.
