WARM UP WINTER + MILWAUKEE ADMIRALS PARTNERSHIP

For the men and women of the Milwaukee Fire Department, fighting fires and saving lives is only part of the job. In addition to community education and outreach, MFD leads Warm Up Winter, a fundraising initiative that provides Milwaukee Public School children in need with coats and winter gear each fall. To make a successful initiative even more so, we worked with our partners at the Milwaukee Admirals, the American Hockey League affiliate of the NHL’s Nashville Predators, to create a season-spanning awareness and fundraising program to give Warm Up Winter its biggest year ever.

A season-spanning initiative with a pro hockey team begins and ends in the same place: the ice. For all 38 home games of the Admirals season, a Zamboni wrapped in Warm Up Winter graphics smoothed the rink between periods and increased awareness among hockey fans. At the heart of the partnership were six “Warm Up Winter” home games where the Zamboni was only part of the action. Each Warm Up Winter game saw Admirals players don special firefighter-themed gear designed by Traction Factory, including pregame jerseys and two custom face masks for goalies Troy Grosenick and Tom McCollum. This gear was auctioned and raffled off throughout the season, with all proceeds benefitting the cause. Firefighters were also on-site at each Warm Up Winter game to collect donations and educate hockey fans about the program, furthering the connection beyond the on-ice exposure.

From the moment the Milwaukee Fire Department, Milwaukee Admirals and Traction Factory began discussing the partnership, we knew we had to customize players’ appearance on the ice. Player warm-up jerseys took inspiration from firefighting’s legacy and included a white Maltese cross design to symbolize the honor and bravery of their service. Goalie masks were customized atop the Admirals house style, with one mask featuring the Admirals skull logo and cues to the fire department’s duty and the other featuring team mascot Roscoe wearing a firefighter helmet. To top it all off, MFD and Warm Up Winter logos adorned the shoulders and sides of each jersey and goalie mask, respectively.

After the last goal was scored and the Admirals’ season came to a close, Warm Up Winter came away a winner. More than 220,000 Milwaukee Admirals fans were exposed to the program from the Zamboni to the jersey auction and everything in between. Overall, the program generated more than $40,000 of cash and in-kind donations resulting in another 2,600+ coats for Milwaukee Public School students.