Bridgestone Brand Named ''The Official Tire Of The NHL, NHLPA And HHOF''

NEW YORK & TORONTO & NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(Business Wire)--
The National Hockey League (NHL) and the National Hockey League
Players' Association (NHLPA) today announced a new global multi-year
partnership with Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC (BFNT)
and Bridgestone Firestone Canada Inc. (BFCA) in which the Bridgestone
brand will serve as the "Official Tire of the NHL, NHLPA and the
Hockey Hall of Fame."

As part of the agreement, the NHL will grant BFNT and BFCA rights
to the League's premier trademarks and provide numerous exclusive
promotional opportunities throughout the NHL season and beyond,
including: the Stanley Cup Playoffs, NHL Draft, NHL Award Show and the
2009 NHL All-Star game. In addition, the Bridgestone brand will be
designated as one of four associate sponsors of the international NHL
Premiere series. Commitments to the League's controlled media
properties NHL.com and NHL Network will help the Bridgestone brand
leverage these League platforms.

The Bridgestone brand also will leverage its status as the
exclusive tire of the NHL by supporting its NHL and NHLPA partnership
with advertising on NHL telecasts in Canada and the U.S. as well as
supporting various NHL clubs. Through its partnership with the NHLPA,
BFNT's and BFCA's activation will include the use of player images and
select player appearances in connection with advertising executions,
premiums and point-of-sale materials. The Bridgestone brand will also
be a sponsor of the NHLPA's annual Golf Classic.

"The NHL has adopted a leading-edge approach to reaching its fans
by developing assets in both new and traditional media, marquee events
and grassroot platforms. As a result, we have created more strategic
opportunities for our partners to connect with our highly desirable
demographic," said Keith Wachtel, NHL Senior Vice President, Corporate
Sales & Marketing. "As a premier sports property, we are excited to
partner with a leadership brand like Bridgestone."

"This is a terrific opportunity to position the Bridgestone brand
with a premiere sports league with a large and very loyal fan base,"
said Phil Pasci, Vice President of Consumer Tire Marketing, BFNT. "By
partnering with the NHL, the NHLPA and the Hockey Hall of Fame we see
enormous potential to connect hockey fans across the world with our
message: for drivers who want to get the most out of their cars, it's
Bridgestone or nothing."

"The NHLPA is excited to be partnering with the Bridgestone brand
on a number of exciting platforms," said Mike Ouellet, NHLPA Chief of
Business Affairs. "NHLPA members are globally recognized as the
world's best hockey players and the Bridgestone group is a global
leader in its industry, so bringing together NHL players with this
respected brand is a natural partnership."

In addition to its new national partnership with the NHL and the
NHLPA, BFNT has entered into numerous high-profile sports sponsorships
with the Bridgestone brand, including the Official Tire of the NFL,
Official Tire Sponsor of the Super Bowl, NFL Pro Bowl and presenting
sponsor of the NFL International Series Game. The Bridgestone brand is
also the official tire of the PGA TOUR and sponsors the World Golf
Championships-Bridgestone Invitational played at the Firestone Country
Club in Akron, Ohio. The company's Firestone brand is the Official
Tire of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race(R), as well as the IndyCar
Series and IndyPro Series. BFNT also has local and regional
sponsorships with properties such as the Tennessee Titans and
Nashville Predators.

About Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC:

Nashville, Tenn.-based Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire,
LLC (BFNT) is a subsidiary of Bridgestone Americas Holding, Inc.,
whose parent company, Bridgestone Corporation, is the world's largest
tire and rubber company. BFNT develops, manufactures and markets
Bridgestone, Firestone and associate brand tires. The company is
focused on wholesale and original equipment markets, supplying
passenger, light truck, commercial vehicle, off the road, motorcycle,
agricultural and other tires to its customers in North America.

Bridgestone Firestone Canada Inc.:

Mississauga, Ontario-based Bridgestone Firestone Canada Inc.
(BFCA) is an affiliate of Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire,
LLC (BFNT). BFCA and Nashville, Tenn.-based BFNT are subsidiaries of
Bridgestone Americas Holding, Inc., whose parent company, Bridgestone
Corporation, is the world's largest tire and rubber company. BFCA and
BFNT develop, manufacture and market Bridgestone, Firestone and
associate brand tires. They are focused on wholesale and original
equipment markets, supplying passenger, light truck, commercial
vehicle, off the road, agricultural and other tires to their customers
in Canada and the United States, respectively.

About the NHL:

The National Hockey League, founded in 1917, is the second-oldest
of the four major professional team sports leagues in North America.
Today, the NHL consists of 30 Member Clubs, each reflecting the
League's international makeup, with players from more than 20
countries represented on team rosters. According to a Simmons Market
Research study, NHL fans are younger, more educated, more affluent,
and access content through digital means more than any other sport.
The NHL entertains more than 100 million fans each season in-arena and
through its partners in national television (VERSUS, NBC, TSN, CBC,
RDS, RIS, NASN, NHL Network and HDNet) and radio (Westwood One and XM
Radio). 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. For more information on the NHL, log on to
NHL.com.

About the NHLPA:

The National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) is a
labour union whose members are the players in the National Hockey
League (NHL). The NHLPA works on behalf of the players in varied
disciplines such as labour law, product licensing, marketing,
international hockey and community relations. In 1999, the NHLPA
launched the Goals & Dreams fund, a $15-million hockey program which
is the largest grassroots hockey program in the world. The players'
program has donated full sets of hockey equipment to more than 8,000
underprivileged children in 17 countries and assisted with upgrades
and the building of hundreds of arenas worldwide. For more information
on the NHLPA, please visit nhlpa.com.

NHL is a registered trademark and the NHL Shield is a trademark of
the National Hockey League. NHL and NHL team marks are the property of
the NHL and its teams. All Rights Reserved.

NHLPA, National Hockey League Players' Association and the NHLPA
logo are trademarks of the NHLPA and are used under license.

Bridgestone Americas
Dan MacDonald, 877-201-2373
macdonalddan@bfusa.com
or
NHL
Kerry McGovern, 212-789-2172
kmcgovern@nhl.com
or
NHLPA
Jonathan Weatherdon, 416-313-2316
jweatherdon@nhlpa.com

Copyright Business Wire 2008