A gold star in marketing

Every team has them and we all love them. Commercials endorsing everything from TV shows to candy bars look for their hockey endorsement. This week we look at some of our favorites

13) NHL Centre Ice

Watch as NHL stars like Dany Heatley, Roberto Luongo, Martin St. Louis, Joe Thornton and Jerome Iginla get ready for the NHL season. The best part would have to be Joe Thorton trying to figure out if his hockey pants make his but look big. NHL Center Ice has been known for their classic commercials but this one always stands out.

12) ESPN

For those of you who remember the Terry Tate commercials you love this one from ESPN. In response to the Office Linebacker we have the Rob Ray security. The best part. The short pause to say hi to coach.

11) Proline

Pro-line has way too many good hockey commercials to list. Every year we are treated to better and better commercials. One of Pro-line’s fist commercials has to be one of the best. It all comes down to the four uber-fans who ruin it for everyone.

10)  McDonald’s Mini Sticks

While this was clearly an American companies idea of Canadian hockey players (the maple syrup comment), the commercial has some merit as one of the better hockey commercials.

9) Nike

Wouldn’t it be great if this actually happened? You’re walking down the street and two pro hockey players dodge by while chasing the puck. The best is the coach’s face at the end. “Not again!”

8) Snickers

Are you going to be here a while? The best part of this commercial is when the player tries to break the fight up. It makes you wonder what refs are really saying to each other.

7)Verizon

This one was so hard to put in the middle of the pack. As Canadians we can see how easily we can live hockey in our day to day lives and the maternity ward is no exception. The best part is when he tells the other babies that they are losers and his is the best. That’s one proud papa.

6) Fox Sports

In 2004 Fox came out with this season long campaign to advertise their hockey games. There were classic scenes and just too many to feature here. If given the chance, go onto You Tube and waste a few hours on these. It’s worth every minute. Just search “Hockey Makes You Tougher.”

5) Hockey Canada One Goal

The video is titled as USA Hockey by the end clearly shows a Hockey Canada Logo. But this video is perfect in encouraging girls to become active in the sport. And their advertising and recruitment plan must be working as more and more girls are joining the sport every year. As a runner up in the women’s category has to come from Molson Canadian (http://youtu.be/atzRP6mRHB4) and their no one shaves during the playoffs campaign.

4) NHL NBC

“My name… Sidney Crosby.” NBC came out with a whole series of commercials telling us that NHL players are just like us, they just can play hockey real well. This one was released closer to the all star game and featured some of the younger guys from the different teams. From pulling pranks on each other to playing mini stick hockey in the hall, we can imagine these players like any other hockey team at an out of town hockey tournament. Every parent’s nightmare.

3) Bruins TV

This would have to be one of the best franchise videos. The whole series was beyond belief. From traffic dodgers being thrown through glass to never tucking in your jersey, they’ve got it all. But the best is a fair warning about dating within the division during the playoffs. Hockey is any fans first love.

2) Budweiser

Every Canadian had the dream of making it big in the NHL. Thousands of fans screaming your name as you take a break away. For most of us we are regulate to playing in empty stands during non-peak hours at random arenas. For two teams in Port Credit Ontario they thought it was just another one of those nights.  Budweiser made sure it was different. A flash mob of fans filled the stands and announcers gave it all they got so these recreation players could have a once in a lifetime experience. The looks on the guys faces was priceless. Ironically, Budweiser was a sponsor of the 2012 Budweiser CARHA Hockey World Cup. This tournament gave thousands of recreational players from around the world the opportunity to play in front of packed stands.

1) Coke

Nothing captured the feeling of a nation quite like the Coke commercial from the 2010 Winter Olympics. Not surprising as many Coke commercials take the prize for advertising.

Women’s Hockey

Two interesting stories came out this week. The first was on ESPN W, ESPN’s site dedicated to women’s sport. The article was titled “Ice needs leveling  in women’s hockey”. It discussed the IOC’s threat that women’s hockey needs a level playing field or it will be cut from the Winter Olympic Games. The two power houses, Canada and the United States, are left defending their decision to invest in the development of women’s hockey while smaller countries still refuse to greatly fund the sport. But there is progress in other countries.  Switzerland recently won bronze, beating Finland in a monumental victory for them. All over the board women’s hockey is making leaps and bounds.

The recent CARHA Hockey World Cup held in March was the first time women’s teams had a presence. Not just one but two divisions played to packed arenas. Fifteen years ago it was hard to find one girl per minor hockey team. Now most leagues field several all girls teams.

Progress should not be stopped. It should be encouraged. If the US and Canada’s men’s teams were in the same situation, the IOC would not threaten to remove their sport from the Games.

This brings us to the second article. The star ran an article called “Women’s Hockey showing signs of greater parity.” The article picks up where ESPN left off.  It shows the progress that has been made since the last Olympics. One-goal games have gone from four at the last Olympics to 10 at the recent championship in Burlington, VT. Four-goal games have gone from 11 to eight in the same time frame. Female hockey participation has risen in several European countries.

While no country is in position to challenge Canada or the US for the gold in Sochi, female hockey players have stepped up and accepted the challenge put before them. The IOC has been sent a clear message. Female hockey players don’t accept defeat. They make it work for them and use it to make them stronger.

It’s Playoff Time…

Its playoff time and the beards come out of the wood work. Players and fans will continue to grow out their facial hair, and some ladies grow their leg hair, till their team is out of the playoffs. The tradition began in the 1980s with the New York Islanders. This week we take a look at some of the crazier playoff traditions.

Sidney Crosby

The list may be too long to go over but some of Sid the Kid’s superstitions are downright peculiar.

  • He tapes his sticks before every game and once taped no one can touch them. If you do Crosby will remove the tape and re-do it
  • Crosby won’t call his mother on game day
  • If the team is traveling on the bus, Crosby will lift his feet and touch glass if they have to cross railroad tracks

Karl Alzner

Alzner taps his stick 88 times during the national anthem and traces an outline of the Canadian Maple Leaf in rhythm with the music

Daniel Briere

Briere has three sticks that he rotates through in between games. If he has a good game with a certain stick, he gives it a day off and uses a different one.

Wayne Gretzky

Even the Great One wasn’t immune to superstitions. He actually has some of the wackiest ones.

  • Between the pre-game warm up and the first period of the game, Wayne Gretzky had four beverages in the following order: Diet Coke, ice water, Gatorade and a second Diet Coke.
  • He’ll never get a haircut while on the road
  • He always shoots his first puck wide and off to the right during warm-up
  • Gretzky always got dressed the same way for every game—left shin pad, left stocking. Right shin pad, right stocking. Then pants, left skate, right skate, shoulder pads, elbow pads and finally he’d put on his jersey, with the right side tucked into his pants.

Patrick Roy

During his playing career he had many superstitions but the most bizarre was his need to literally talk to the goal posts. He would also meticulously lay out each piece of his equipment on the locker room floor and dress himself in a specific order.

Ray Ferraro

Talk about committing to a food. Ferraro ate chicken parmesan before every game for two years

Kyle McLaren

McLearen’s teammates capitalized on the fact that he was colour blind. They thought it would be funny to swap out his visor for a yellow one since he wouldn’t be able to notice. McLaren didn’t notice until after the game in which he scored the game-winning goal. He didn’t change the visor back until the 2007-2008 season in an effort to change the fortune of his team.

Jaromir Jager

The night before every game, he liked to have milk and cookies to calm his nerves

Brendan Shanahan

The NHL’s rule enforcer has a weirder one. Apparently he would always listen to Madonna on game days

Ottawa Nationals

Of the former World Hockey Association, the Ottawa Nationals believed that a rotting cob of corn brought the team prosperity. With the deteriorating cobs, the Nationals won 12 of their final 13 contests to qualify for the playoffs.

All Teams

Many teams believe that touching the Conference Championship Trophy before completing your playoff run will jinx it. Instead, they save themselves for the Stanly Cup. Some Captains have ignored this rule including superstition fanatic Sidney Crosby.

Top 5 Hockey Legends

When I started to put together this month’s top five blog I quickly realized that I would have to change the format a little bit. This month we look at the top 10 Greatest NHL Stars of all time. There are probably a few that you think should be on this list and there is no denying that Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin could easily make this list. But the truth is that they are still becoming the hockey greats that they will become. We will most likely see their names in the NHL Hall of Fame. So for now they are not going to make the list. So without further delay:

10. Phil Esposito

Before Wayne Gretzky, Esposito held the records for highest single season totals in goals and points. In total he racked up over 700 goals and 1,590 points. He also has 5 Art Ross Trophies and 2 Harts on the shelf. In his heyday Boston fans had bumper stickers that said “Jesus saves, Espo scores on the rebound.” He still holds the single season shots on goals record and only one player has even come close to beating it. (Ovechkin came within 100 shots.) Now Esposito has moved onto being a colour commentator and appearing on Denis Leary’s show Rescue Me as the battalion hockey team coach.

9. Guy Lafleur

Lafleur had a career that span 17 years and 5 Stanley Cups. He has won 3 Art Ross Trophies, 3 Lester B. Pearsons, 2 Hearts and a Conn Smythe. He holds the record with the Montreal Canadians in both assists and points.

8. Bobby Hull

Hull played 15 seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks before a lucrative $1,000,000 contract lured him to the Winnipeg Jets of the WHA. He was the first player to score more than 50 goals in a single season and had 610 career goals in the NHL and 303 in the WHA.

7. Maurice “The Rocket” Richard

Arguably hockey’s greatest goal scorer, Richard is the first player to score 50 goals in a single season in just 50 games. In his career he scored 544 goals, winning 9 Stanley Cups and 1 Hart Trophy. He has been the focus of made for T.V movies and several books. It is no doubt that he is part of several top hockey legends lists.

6.  Mark Messier

Arguably one of the greatest leaders in the game, Messier spent the early part of his career in the shadow of Wayne Gretzky. In 1988 he took over captaincy when Gretzky was traded. He lead the team to its 5th Stanley cup in ’90. With 2 Hart Trophies, a Conn Smythe and 6 Stanley Cups Messier is one of the most decorated players of the modern era, and his 1,756 career games and 1,887 career points rank him 2nd all time in both categories

5. Maurice “The Rocket” Richard

Possibly one of the greatest goal scorer of all time, Richard had a desire to get to the net with the puck. He became the first player to score 50 goals in a single season, doing so in only 50 games, and was the first to score 500 goals in a career. In total he accumulated 965 points in 978 games. Many Habs fans consider the fact that he only won the Hart Trophy once discrimination because he was a French player. In 1955, after punching lines men, Richard was suspended. This created the “Richard Riot” in Montreal.  He has received the Order of Canada, was appointed to the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada, Has a railway station named after him, several statues and was inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame. When his number was retired in 1996 Richard received the longest standing ovation in the city’s history.

4. Mario Lemieux

Having played all 17 seasons in the NHL with the Pittsburgh Penguins Lemieux was known as a gifted playmaker and a fast skater despite his size. He has won three Hart Trophies, six Art Ross Trophies and two Conn Smyth Trophies. In 2004, he was inducted into the Canada’s walk of fame. He became the third Hall of Famer to play after being inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame. Lemieux was given the honorable title of Knight from Quebec Premier Jean Charest and the Order of Canada from Michaelle Jean.

3. Gordie Howe

Famous for his scoring prowess, How is known for his physical strength and career longevity. He is the only player to have competed in the NHL in five different decades. He has won the Stanley Cup four times, the Hart Trophy six times and the Art Ross Trophy six times. In 2008 he received the first NHL Lifetime Achievement Award. He has an unofficial record named after him. The Gordie Howe hat trick consists of a goal, an assist and a fight in one game. In his career he played 2,421 games, had 1,071 goals and 1,518 assists. Outside hockey Howe has received the Order of Canada, was inducted to the Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame and the Walk of Fame as well.

2. Bobby Orr

Orr revolutionized the position of defenceman with his speed, scoring and play-making abilities. During his career he racked up eight straight Norris Trophies, Three Harts, Two Conn Smythes, A Calder and two Art Ross Trophies. In the final achievement of his career, he was the MVP of the 1976 Canada Cup international hockey tournament. He now runs a player agent business that represents over 30 active NHL players. In 1979, Orr was invested as an officer in the Order of Canada, he has been honoured with a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame and was one of the eight bearers of the Olympic flag at the Opening Ceremonies of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

1. Wayne Gretzky

Gretzky is undisputedly the greatest player to ever play the game. Upon his retirement he held 40 regular-season records, fifteen playoff records, and six All-Star records. He is the leading point-scorer in NHL history, as well as the only NHL player to total over 200 points in one season- a feat he accomplished four times. He has won the Lady Byng five times- more than any other player since the 1930’s. In total he has captured nine Hart Trophies, 10 Art Ross Trophies, five Lester B. Pearson Awards, and two Conn Smythe Trophies. He has been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, been named an Officer of the Order of Canada and has a star on the Canada’s Walk of Fame. He also has the honour of having his jersey number retired league-wide by the NHL. During the Olympic in 2010, Gretzky was the final torchbearer and lit both Olympic cauldrons. By the numbers he has 2,875 career points with 894 regular season goals and 50 career hat tricks.