NHL ad scores. No acting necessary.

Of all of the reasons my children make me feel blessed, one of the best is the fact that none of them play hockey. I like to watch the game, but I haven’t played since 5th grade, when Phil Humbert nailed me with a slapshot above my right eye in his frozen backyard (six stitches). So nobody in our family is much of a skater.

Hockey is smelly, injury-prone, and expensive, and if your child is on a travel team, you TRAVEL. For basketball or baseball, the farthest you go is maybe the next county. For hockey, you cross time zones.

For all of those reasons, Honda loves hockey. Hockey families need lots of equipment and log lots of miles so they need big roomy cars…like, say, Honda Passports and Pilots. So it’s a natural for them to sponsor the NHL. But it doesn’t mean they have to do such smart ads, like this.



I really like this spot. I may not be a hockey parent, but I’m a sports parent who can relate to the rituals involved in kids’ sports. The packing and unpacking, the early morning games and practices, the special moments watching them play. And the fact that our kids rely on us to make it all happen.

Honda takes this insight and connects it to their products: “As reliable as the people who drive them.” Smart. What’s even smarter is how they tie in their NHL sponsorship, without showing a single NHL player or highlight:

“Official vehicle of the NHL. And hockey parents everywhere.”

Knowing that hockey players are better at checking than acting, another wise move.