MDA Space and the NHL’s Ottawa Senators have announced a multi-year partnership focused on reaching STEM and space enthusiasts across Canada.
Through the partnership, MDA Space will gain prominent brand visibility at the Canadian Tire Centre and through digital and broadcast mediums, most notably with their logo just left of the visitors bench, according to a release video shared by MDA Space.
#MissionMDA is hitting the ice! We’re proud to announce that MDA Space is an official partner of the NHL’s @Senators.
To celebrate, we caught the moment our team saw our logo on centre ice for the very first time. Stay tuned for more updates!https://t.co/UZsNXwG9D5#Sens pic.twitter.com/IZhHNYt0zH
— MDA Space (@MDA_space) September 23, 2025
“Professional hockey demands the highest standards of performance and drive to succeed, and we are proud to partner with the Ottawa Senators, an organization that shares our commitment to excellence and leadership,” said Mike Greenley, CEO of MDA Space. “Together, we look forward to inspiring fans and young Canadians to dream big, reach for the stars, and pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.”
The space-hockey branding partnership is a surprise, but it isn’t the first for the Ottawa Senators. Calian, who provides space products ranging from communication gateways to in-orbit test systems became the Ottawa Senators first road jersey partner in 2024 under a multi-year agreement. That partnership built on an existing relationship between the two organizations who have worked together for over 10 years, with Calian providing cybersecurity and information technology services for the Senators.
While most Canadians are familiar with the Canadarm & Canadarm2, most don’t realize that MDA Space is responsible for building it, or familiar with MDA Space’s commercialized version, SKYMAKER.
There’s only one solution to educate the masses at scale—MDA Space needs to roll out a miniature version of SKYMAKER onto the ice and have it drop the puck before a game. Sure, it’ll probably confuse a ton of people in the audience, but it would also generate curiosity. Imagine being a kid interested in STEM and seeing a robot drop the puck right before your favourite team starts a game?
Adding a logo to the ice and showcasing it on digital platforms is one thing, but having a functioning prototype drop the puck would be incredible. It would be hilarious (and amazing) to see Senators captain Brady Tkachuk shake the opposing team’s captain’s hand and have to make a split-second decision—“Do I skate away, or do I… shake the robot’s hand?”
Come on MDA Space. You have the chance to do the best thing.
Read the official announcement from MDA Space here.
