NHL Shows Us How 'Love Makes You Do Crazy Things'

The National Hockey League (NHL) is hyping up the upcoming Stanley Cup Playoffs with a short ad series that showcases some of the weird and wacky rituals fans do in support of their favorite teams.

The first one titled "Tattoo" shows Jack Moore, a Golden Knights fan, boldly predicting his team would win the Stanley Cup in 2019.

To immortalize this prediction, he got a tattoo of the Knights logo together with the year on his right arm – eventually regretting this decision when they got knocked out by San Jose in the first round, and St. Louis Blues bagged their first Stanley Cup win. 

In the second spot "Catfish," a Nashville Predator wraps a dead catfish around his waist before heading to the arena.

He gets anxious as soon as the stadium guard conducts a security check, but ultimately gets to bring the fish to the stadium, enabling him to conduct his good luck ritual. 

The final spot "Not Together," recalls the relationship of long-term couple Sam and Erika, as they watched every Colorado Avalanche playoff run together. 

However, they decided to call it quits when their favorite team won the one time they were apart.

Believing their relationship was bad luck to the Avalanche, they began to enjoy the games separately – Sam alone, and Erika with her new partner.

Each of the three 30-second ads ended with a message that perfectly captured the campaign's theme: "Love makes you do crazy things."

Inspired by the Fans

The campaign, named after the slogan, is aimed at highlighting the passion and devotion hockey fans have for their teams, even if they dive into the extremes, or are occasionally irrational. 

"The idea that 'love makes you do crazy things' is a universal theme that connects with sports fans everywhere," Casey Hall, NHL Senior Vice President of Marketing & Branding shared in a press release.

Chad Broude of Highdive, the agency behind the campaign, expounded further on spotlighting these "crazy love stories."

Inspired by real-life experiences, the campaign paints a different picture of the way fans can express their admiration and dedication. 

"The Playoffs are such a special time for NHL fans, and we wanted to give them a nod in these spots for everything they do to help their teams make it to the Final," Broude added.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs officially begin on Saturday, April 20.