As the 1996 National Hockey League season faced off, Mennen anticipated plenty of high-sticking – by Speed Stick users.

After negotiating a sponsorship agreement between the NHL and Mennen making Speed Stick the "official deodorant" of the league, NMG enhanced the national association with regional promotions in key Mennen Markets that began with Denver, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.

Mennen also reached its key target through its sponsorship of the exciting six-event NHL SuperSkills competition. At each local NHL SuperSkills competition, Speed Stick title sponsored the Speed Stick® Speed Blast which measured each player’s shot with a radar gun. The league’s top shooters competed in Boston during NHL All-Star Weekend, and the event was televised live on ESPN.

NMG also ran an NHL-themed promotion with the Mennen division of on the Czech Republic. Through an in-store sweepstakes, two Grand Prize winners traveled from the Czech Republic to the United States and attended a game in which prominent Czech players played.