Ok, so maybe not of
all time, but last year's NHL Playoff commercial featuring Sidney Crosby was awesome primarily because it wasn't for anything except hockey. Sports figures are no strangers to commercial endorsements, a strategy that uses their personal prowess and characteristics to sell goods by proxy, but this particular commercial was designed as a teaser for the playoffs themselves. It's Sidney Crosby's determination that's on display here as the camera focuses on an image of the Crosby and company during a timeout in the dying minutes of the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals, the look on their faces making it apparent to all that they know they are going to lose. The Penguins victory in 2009 makes Crosby's final words, "I never what to be in this photograph again" prophetic and chilling.
This year's NHL commercials are also pretty good, but only perhaps because I remember watching most of these moments the first time around, from Gretzky streaking in on a defenseless Billy Smith, to the young, skinny Patrick Roy's amazing playoff run. The best though is Mario splitting the Minnesota defense, a scene of sublime skill that's wrapped up in my mind with his subsequent back injuries and battles with Hodgkin's Disease.
How much better could he have been?
