Preserving the NHL Playoffs Stanley Cup commercial style gives us the best commercials the NHL creative geniuses have created. In my last installment, we traversed the funnier, edgier commercials that the NHL has cleverly created to keep us from leaving our seats between periods. In this second part I will show you in the commercials that follow, the truly special ones we wait patiently for, we tweet about, and we make our not so knowledgable hockey friends watch. All because these commercials are true works of art, capturing the most special of historical moments, the winning of the Stanley Cup. I’ve arranged these commercials in the order they closely happen from the handshake to the mess, all to walk you through the thrill of the ultimate win.
Because It’s The Cup, Misspellings On The Cup 2013
Why we love this one: First off, I’m not sure this was a commercial, but it’s interesting in its honesty. Who knew that the Stanley Cup had mistakes on it? How could they spell a guy’s name wrong five times out of six? Or even spell the name of a team wrong? But, it’s all true. The point of the commercial is wonderful, the cup isn’t perfect, it’s exactly like the season in which it’s won, imperfectly perfect.
The Handshake 2013
That handshake commercial is beautiful.
— Kim (@I_loveto_hockey) June 16, 2013
Why we love this one: The Handshake is the first thing a team must do before being awarded the cup. This year it seems, both teams are incredibly worthy. In a sport where fights aren’t unusual, and grudge’s can last careers, there’s something about shaking the hand of your opponent and saying, “Good game.” This year when the playoffs end, the teams can honestly say they pushed each other to play their best, to be the best hockey player each was capable of. To get in line and be gracious isn’t always easy, but it is a display of genuine sportsmanship. This commercial shows hockey at its best. Congratulating each other for a job well done, a season well played, and for helping and being helped to be your best.
Cup Raise 2008
Why we love this one: This commercial takes us slow motion, stop action through raising the cup after the win. We see decades of captains and co captains raising it. There’s so much history in this piece, and it’s edited so perfectly. . And then it gives you the tag line. This commercial is hockey history at its most perfect.
Boys 2012
Why we love this one: It is a known fact that all hockey players are adults. As adults we live by a general sense of decorum. Something allows us to break that decorum at certain times in our lives. Something as out of this world as winning the Stanley Cup. This is a time where being a man is unthinkable. These players process the win with the heart of a boy. It’s the only thing that makes sense. Boys have dreams, boys believe, and it’s the boy’s heart that comprehends a win more than the man. This is what is so great about this commercial. These hard working men, who play for their parents, their town, their kids, their team, get to throw all that pressure off for a shining second and see the world through the eyes of a boy. Boys who had dreams and believed in magic enough to put it all out there in the hopes that dreams do come true are historically preserved in this great commercial.
No Words 2010
Love hockey. Love the Stanley Cup Finals. Fantastic #NHL commercial "THERE ARE NO WORDS!"
— Shane Lindsay (@rxshane) June 2, 2011
Why we love this one: There’s a book I really like called Outliers. In that book, the writer has researched that to be proficient at anything, you must put in a minimum of 10,000 hours at your craft. So what do you do when those 10,000+ hours pay off and you win the ultimate prize? You’re at a loss for words. This commercial is so incredible, in that it shows us the humility of our players. They are humbled, grateful, and speechless. But how you do you describe attaining the goal of a lifetime? For us, just the look on the faces, and the tears in their eyes is good enough for me, as I’m sure it is for you.
History Will Be Made, History Makes A Mess 2011
Why we love this one: This is yet another example of the brilliant History Will Be Made campaign. I’m still in awe of the minds behind this marketing. This commercial brings us years of teams winning the Stanley Cup, but more importantly the mess and the joyful debris created in its win. Here’s to the winners of this year’s Stanley Cup and the wonderful joyous mess they will leave us to remember.