TORONTO, April 4, 2012 /CNW/ - The new ScotiaHockey NHL^® VISA card, which can be personalized with the logo of any NHL^® team or the NHL^® Shield, will offer points towards rewards for cardholders who shop at Sport Chek and Sportchek.ca.

"As Canada's hockey bank we've worked to enrich the Canadian hockey experience in a variety of ways from community to professional level," said Mike Henry, Scotiabank Senior Vice President and Head of Retail Payments, Deposits and Lending. "The ScotiaHockey NHL^® VISA card offers passionate hockey fans another way to show their team colours by adding their favourite NHL^® team to the face of their ScotiaHockey NHL^® VISA and build towards a variety of rewards which reflect their interest in sports and hockey - like earning points for Sport Chek offers."

Every dollar spent on the new credit card earns one reward point. Sport Chek rewards exclusively available through use of the new ScotiaHockey NHL^® Visa card include:

• Earning five times the rewards points on all purchases at Sport Chek and SportChek.ca for a limited time
  
  
• A free skate sharpening at Sport Chek with any in-store purchase, for a limited time
  
  
• Using points to receive Sport Chek gift cards to buy anything from the store's wide range of sporting goods

"As Canada's largest sporting goods retailer and great supporter of playing sports, including hockey, our main goal is to inspire Canadians to live healthy, active lifestyles by offering all the equipment needed to do so," said Michael Medline, President of FGL Sports. "Our partnership with Scotiabank and support of its ScotiaHockey NHL^® Visa credit card helps us emphasize our commitment to this healthy lifestyle, while bringing to light Sport Chek's dedication to hockey."

To learn more about Sport Chek, please visit sportchek.ca. For more information on the ScotiaHockey NHL^® Visa, please visit scotiabank.com/scotiahockeyvisa.

About Scotiabank
Scotiabank is one of North America's premier financial institutions and Canada's most international bank. With more than 77,000 employees, Scotiabank and its affiliates serve some 19 million customers in more than 55 countries around the world. Scotiabank offers a broad range of products and services including personal, commercial, corporate and investment banking. With assets above $637 billion (as at January 31, 2012), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto (BNS) and New York Exchanges (BNS). For more information please visit www.scotiabank.com

Scotiabank is very proud to be Canada's Hockey Bank and is the Official Bank of the NHL®, NHLPA®, NHL Alumni™, CWHL, Winnipeg Jets™, Toronto Maple Leafs®, Calgary Flames® whose home arena is the Scotiabank Saddledome, and the Ottawa Senators® whose home arena is Scotiabank Place. The Bank also has a partnership with the Montreal Canadiens®. Scotiabank has a long tradition of supporting hockey in Canada from local teams and minor hockey associations to professional players and leagues. Across Canadian communities from coast to coast, Scotiabank's Community Hockey Sponsorship Program reaches out to more than 3,700 minor hockey teams and leagues.To find out more about Scotiabank's hockey programs, please visit www.facebook.com/scotiahockeyclub.

About VISA
Visa is a global payments technology company that connects consumers, businesses, financial institutions and governments in more than 200 countries and territories to fast, secure and reliable digital currency. Underpinning digital currency is one of the world's most advanced processing networks—VisaNet—that is capable of handling more than 20,000 transaction messages a second, with fraud protection for consumers and guaranteed payment for merchants. Visa is not a bank and does not issue cards, extend credit or set rates and fees for consumers. Visa's innovations, however, enable its financial institution customers to offer consumers more choices: pay now with debit, ahead of time with prepaid or later with credit products. For more information, visit www.corporate.visa.com.

About FGL Sports

FGL Sports Ltd., formerly The Forzani Group Ltd. is Canada's largest national retailer of sporting goods, offering a comprehensive assortment of brand-name and private-brand products, operating stores from coast to coast, under the following corporate and franchise banners: Sport Chek, Sport Mart, Athletes World, National Sports, Sports Experts, Intersport, Econosports, Atmosphere, Nevada Bob's Golf, Hockey Experts, Fitness Source, and S3. FGL Sports also has websites for several of its corporate and franchise banners which can be accessed through its main website at www.FGLSports.com.

™ Trademarks of The Bank of Nova Scotia

^® NHL and the NHL Shield are registered trademarks and NHL Alumni 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

^* Registered trademark of Visa/Lic. user The Bank of Nova Scotia

^®* Registered trademark of FGL Sports Ltd. All rights reserved.