The National Hockey League (NHL®) will debut the new “No Words” spot today during the NHL Network™ all-access coverage of the Stanley Cup® Final between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Philadelphia Flyers. The commercial replays postgame interviews with players who were rendered speechless, minutes after winning the Stanley Cup. The “No Words” spot is an extension of the critically-acclaimed History Will Be Made™ campaign that’s been running throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The spot opens with the on-ice presentation of the Stanley Cup to Jean Beliveau in 1971 then cuts through a series of player vignettes from different years. Bill Guerin can’t find the words to describe the New Jersey Devils’ 1995 Stanley Cup win. Detroit Red Wings goaltender Chris Osgood finds “it hard to explain” after their 2007 title. Ray Bourque, surrounded by microphones in the locker room, can only shake his head after winning the only Stanley Cup of his 22-year career with the Colorado Avalanche in 2001. Brett Hull’s smile and shoulder shrugs are all he can muster up in a post-game interview after scoring the gamewinning goal for the Dallas Stars in 1999.
To view the spot, visit http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?catid=15&id=70841.
Following the New York Rangers’ 1994 Stanley Cup win after a 54-year drought, Mark Messier can only stare open-mouthed at the microphone in front of him. Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Glen Wesley sits wide-eyed and overwhelmed during the 2006 Stanley Cup Final post-game press conference. Darren McCarty of the 2008 Detroit Red Wings and Teemu Selanne of the 2006 Anaheim Ducks are driven to tears. Finally, we see a speechless Bill Ranford after the Edmonton Oilers’ 1990 triumph. The spot ends with a simple title card: “There are no words.”
“Sometimes there are no words to describe how it feels to win the Stanley Cup,” said Brian Jennings, NHL Executive Vice President, Marketing. “The emotions can be so overwhelming you’re unable to express them. It has happened to the greatest players in this game. Those superhuman moments required to win take a back seat to the human moment that comes once they’ve won the Cup.”
The “No Words” spot will run across all of the NHL’s national and local broadcast partners, NHL Network™, NHL.com, in-arena, and through digital and social media networking websites.
Creative was developed by the National Hockey League with creative consulting by
global advertising agency Young & Rubicam.
NHL, the NHL Shield and the word mark and image of the Stanley Cup are registered trademarks and History Will Be Made 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.
