NEW YORK – ‘Stanley Pup,’ a friendly competition featuring adoptable rescue dogs, will return for the 2025 Stanley Cup® Final, the National Hockey League (NHL) announced today. New for this year, all 32 NHL teams will be represented by a four-legged friend, many of whom will be available for adoption from a shelter or rescue group in their respective city. During the 90-minute special, the pups will face off in a friendly competition showcasing their adorable canine skills.
The show will feature special appearances by celebrity dog lovers including Anthony Anderson, Cedric the Entertainer, Cheri Oteri, George Lopez, Jamie Lee Curtis, Joel McHale, Michael Bublé, Nikki Glaser, Paula Abdul and Will Reeve. In addition, color and play-by-play commentary will be provided by Mark Shunock and Chris Rose, with Michelle Gingras reporting rink side. The show will premiere in the U.S. June 6, on TruTV (4 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. ET) and in Canada June 7, on Sportsnet (3 p.m. PT / 6 p.m. ET). The show will also air on NHL Network June 8 (4 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. ET) and across the NHL’s digital platforms.
Last year marked the first-ever ‘Stanley Pup’ and featured dog “players” such as Sergei Bobruffsky, Connor McDoodle, Alex Ofetchkin and more. The broadcast will feature NHL players including Victor Hedman (Tampa Bay Lightning), Jaccob Slavin (Carolina Hurricanes), Sam Bennett (Florida Panthers), Alexander Kerfoot (Utah Mammoth), and Brandon Duhaime and Ryan Leonard (Washington Capitals) introducing participating dogs in support of local pet adoption in their cities.
Stanley Pup is executive produced by Michael Levitt for Michael Levitt Productions, whose past rescue-themed projects include “American Rescue Dog Show,” “Fox’s Cause for Paws,” “All-Star Dog Rescue Celebration” and more, Steve Mayer (President, NHL Content & Events) and Matt Nicholson (NHL Group Vice President, Production & Creative Development) for NHL Productions. The national nonprofit organization Petco Love will once again provide the dogs in the competition through their shelter partners across the country to spotlight the joy of pet adoption. BISSELL and Blue Buffalo join this year as sponsors.
“We were thrilled with the success of the first-ever ‘Stanley Pup’ in 2024 and because of the amazing response from audiences watching at home, the NHL is excited to bring it back this season with even more rescue dogs,” said Mayer. “We love being able to support great causes and knowing that even more participating dogs will find permanent homes this year is very fulfilling for the league. We can’t wait to see what fun this year’s friendly competition brings as the “players” hit the Stanley Pup rink.”
“There’s nothing more gratifying than to make content that actually changes lives, and in this case, both for the dogs needing homes and the families that adopt them,” said Levitt. “Two paws up to the NHL for doing their part to help pups in need and giving us this platform to show people how shelter dogs deserve to be part of every family’s starting lineup.”
“Stanley Pup is a joyful reminder that all-star pets can be adopted from your local shelter,” said Susanne Kogut, President of Petco Love. “Adopting a pet is like scoring the game-winning goal—one moment of heart, and you’ve changed a life forever. We’re proud to team up with the NHL to spotlight shelter pets across the country.”
For more information about dogs available for adoption in your area, visit PetcoLove.org/StanleyPup. Additional highlights from the ‘Stanley Pup,’ including behind-the-scenes content, will be available on NHL.com/StanleyPup.
Stanley Cup Playoffs coverage is underway on ESPN, TNT, TBS, TruTV and Max in the U.S., and in Canada on SN, SN1, CBC and TVA Sports. Outside of North America, NHL international media partners deliver games to fans around the world.
About NHL Productions
NHL Productions is the National Hockey League’s award-winning production company, focused on documenting, preserving, and promoting the game of hockey and its players. Established in 2011, NHL Productions develops long- and short-form hockey programming for the League’s social and digital platforms – NHL Network, NHL.com, NHL Social and the NHL’s YouTube Channel – as well as national, regional and international rightsholders. Its original programming lineup has included FACEOFF: Inside the NHL, Quest For The Stanley Cup, Road To The NHL Winter Classic, Saving Sakic, Chosen One: Alexandre Daigle, Behind The Glass, NHL All-Star All Access, Hat Trick Trivia, Stanley Cup Live, and many more. Welcome to the NHL earned a 2023 Sports Emmy Award. The NHL is nominated for three 2025 Sports Emmys.
About Michael Levitt Productions
Emmy-nominated producer Michael Levitt is the driving force behind Michael Levitt Productions, the Los Angeles-based company responsible for more than 200 live events, specials, and series, including The American Rescue Dog Show, The Billboard Music Awards, and Skin Wars. “My team and I give everything we’ve got to our annual franchises, our one-off live events, and our reality series,” says Levitt. “We fill them with fun, surprises, and heart to craft unforgettable, innovative shows for diverse audiences across every kind of network and platform.” Other MLP programs include The Daytime Emmys, The Producers Guild Awards, Radio Disney Music Awards, The VH1 Fashion Awards, The Hocus Pocus 25th Anniversary Halloween Bash, and many more.
About Petco Love
Petco Love is a life-changing nonprofit organization that makes communities and pet families closer, stronger, and healthier. Since our founding in 1999, we’ve empowered animal welfare organizations by investing nearly $410 million in adoption and other lifesaving efforts. We’ve helped find loving homes for nearly 7 million pets in partnership with Petco and organizations nationwide. Our love for pets drives us to lead with innovation, creating tools animal lovers need to reunite lost pets, and lead with passion, inspiring and mobilizing communities and our more than 4,000 animal welfare partners to drive lifesaving change alongside us. Is love calling you? Join us. Visit PetcoLove.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X, Threads, and LinkedIn to be part of the lifesaving work we lead every day.
About BISSELL Homecare, Inc.
For nearly 150 years BISSELL has been helping pet families clean up after their most beloved mess-makers with innovative cleaning products specifically designed to tackle pet fur, tracked-in trails, and pet accidents. As pet lovers themselves, BISSELL is constantly researching and developing technologies that ensure every product meets the high cleaning performance expected by pet parents. BISSELL’s passion for pets goes far beyond cleaning up after them; it’s exemplified through its support of BISSELL Pet Foundation, founded by Cathy Bissell in 2011 to help end pet homelessness. Every purchase of a BISSELL® product helps support its mission, impacting more than 958,000 pet lives to date. Learn more: BISSELL.com, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.
About Blue Buffalo
Blue Buffalo, the country’s most loved and trusted natural pet food, started with a promise made to a lovable Airedale named Blue who struggled with cancer, the #1 disease-related killer of dogs and cats. His family, the Bishops, wanted to feed him the best food possible, so they searched for food with high-quality ingredients, but decided to create something even better – natural pet food for dogs and cats with nutritious ingredients, real meat first, and some of the highest standards in the industry. Since Day 1, BLUE’s team of veterinarians and animal nutritionists have carefully selected high-quality, natural ingredients and upheld its True BLUE Promise to dog and cat pet parents – real meat as the first ingredient with NO chicken (or poultry) by-product meals, NO corn, wheat or soy, and NO artificial flavors or preservatives. The result is a portfolio of high-quality, natural food and treats that both dogs and cats love. This simple idea: “Love them like family. Feed them like family.” lives on today in every Blue Buffalo recipe. Visit BlueBuffalo.com to learn more.
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