Compared to the other Big 4 sports leagues (NFL, NBA, MLB), the NHL commercials are in a different universe. Quick, think to yourself: when’s the last time you saw a funny commercial from another sport that wasn’t an ESPN “This is Sportscenter” commercial? I honestly can’t think of one.
Maybe it’s because the NHL and its sponsors need entertaining commercials to draw fans in considering they are last in popularity among the Big 4 sports. Maybe it’s because they don’t take themselves too seriously like the other leagues.
Whatever the reason, hockey commercials are by far the best in sports. They range from humorous and light-hearted to serious ones that tug at your heartstrings. Below, we count down the ten best hockey commercials ever:
10. Bruins Hockey Dating Rules
If you’ve watched any NHL playoff games this year, chances are you’ve seen the commercial about the sports dating site where the Sharks and Kings fans meet, and give up immediately on their blind date. This one offers a much better representation of what should happen when you date within the division.
9. Who Is That in Our Bed?
This one came at the beginning of the 2005-06 season, signifying the end of the lockout that cancelled the 2004-05 season. Good luck competing with Peter Forsberg in your bed.
8. One Play
This one may not have a single word spoken in it, but the editing together of clips spanning decades is impressive.
7. What’s in a Name?
By far the best commercial the NHL has churned out this year, it examines how a simple word, a player’s last name, can come to mean so much and define a legacy. My only question is, why is Milan Lucic included among names like Gretzky, Lidstrom, and Beliveau?
6. Hockey Falls: Street Hockey
The Hockey Falls commercials sponsored by Bud Light are arguably the best series of hockey commercials ever. They’re definitely the best series of humorous ones. There are 20+ of them out there on YouTube, and they’re all absolute classics.
5. The McDonalds Little Goalie
He may be a callup from the minors, but he’s got some serious skill. He wouldn’t have gotten a shot in the old days because of his size, but in today’s NHL where size isn’t as important, who knows?
4. Swedish Twins
Ever wonder what it’d be like to have two Swedish twins come to perform for you in your hotel room? Be careful what you wish for.
3. The Cup Raise
It’s the moment every hockey player in the world dreams of, but precious few are able to experience in their lifetime. None of them will ever forget the easiest 35 pound bicep exercise of their life.
2. History Will Be Made: Bobby Orr
The History Will Be Made series is the other contender, along with Hockey Falls, for the best series of hockey commercials ever. It was extremely difficult to pick just one because there are so many good ones to choose from. There was Ray Bourque returning for one more year, the Flyers’ legendary 3-0 comeback against the Bruins in 2010, the Blackhawks ending their 49 year Cup drought, and many others.
1. No Words
When I set about making this list, this was without question #1. It was the first one I thought of, and I immediately put it at the top and built the rest of the list from there. It’s nearly impossible for a hockey fan to watch it without getting the chills every time, no matter how many times they’ve seen it.
It perfectly demonstrates what an amazing moment this was for these players. They spent most of their career speaking to the media every day of the season, but are left literally speechless by the moment.
Bill Schoeninger is a Philadelphia Flyers writer and current Boston University student studying business. Coming to THW from Hometown Hockey, Bill follows and writes about the Flyers, Boston University Terriers, and NHL Draft prospects. Follow him on twitter @BSchoeninger17
