NHL Hands Stanley Cup Across Eras, With Assist From Bob Dylan

Casting against musical type, the NHL and agency Highdive set “Handoff,” an ad hyping the Stanley Cup Playoffs, to a fresh version of Bob Dylan’s iconic 1964 track “The Times They Are a-Changin’,” as performed by Susan Calloway.

Obvi, this song and artist aren’t usually associated with sports. Still, Dylan’s yearning folk anthem chronicling the irrepressible tide of change works perfectly in context as we watch NHL greats from the last five decades hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup. Then, through composite video editing, they appear to pass the trophy to another winning team.

“We knew the concept was strong, and that the spot would be visually arresting based on some early treatments we saw,” Casey Hall, the NHL’s SVP of marketing, tells Muse. “But we wanted an emotional song with the right lyrics to tell the story of the Cup passing from generation to generation.”

With that goal in mind, “we tried hundreds of songs,” Hall says, “but when we heard ‘The Times They Are a-Changin’ against a rough cut, the whole thing clicked. It had the lyrics, tone and pace we were searching for. Plus, it’s one of the most iconic songs about change between generations and eras.

Ultimately, recording “a new but vintage-sounding cover of the song felt right to us, and it was the final piece in making the spot what we knew it could be.”

As the :60 unfolds, these luminaries appear:

• Wayne Gretzky, 1984 Edmonton Oilers
• Patrick Roy, 1993 Montreal Canadiens
• Martin Brodeur, 2000 New Jersey Devils
• Jonathan Toews, 2015 Chicago Blackhawks
• Sidney Crosby, 2016 Pittsburgh Penguins
• Alex Ovechkin, 2018 Washington Capitals
• Steven Stamkos, 2021 Tampa Bay Lightning

Earlier 2022 Cup promos were pretty effective, too, harnessing ambient tones to achieve a moody, majestic vibe:

Who wants it?

The #StanleyCup Playoffs begin Monday, May 2. pic.twitter.com/dz0hyiOjeq

— NHL (@NHL) April 30, 2022

In recent years, some if the most effecting, evocative sports campaigns have emerged from the world of hockey. These include Justin Bieber’s take on ESPN’s beloved NHL theme song; a powerhouse Budweiser/HDA spot with the league’s stars speaking out against racism; this sweaty Arizona Coyotes’ commercial set in the desert; and, most recently, Chipotle’s impressive mixed-media playoff-game disruption with a huge hockey glove smashing through center ice.

CREDITS

—If There Was No Cup & The Handoff 

NHL
Brian Jennings – Exec VP, Marketing
Casey Hall – SVP, Marketing & Consumer Insights
Josh Dubin –  Sr. Director, Marketing
Glenn Hyams – Manager, Marketing
Allison Hellman – Sr. Manager, Consumer Research & Insights

Highdive 
Chad Broude, Co-founder/ CCO
Mark Gross, Co-founder/ CCO
Megan Lally, Managing Partner, Operations, Account and Strategy
Jen Passaniti, Head of Production, Executive Producer
Alan Snitow, Lead Strategist
Kristin Woodke, Group Account Director
Jamie Lazaroff, Sr. Account Executive
Brian Culp, Creative Director
Katie Bero, Creative Director
Pat Seidel, Creative Director
Chris Rose, Creative Director 
Will St. Clair, Executive Producer
Johannah Scarlet, Producer
Kamerin McAllister, Producer
Kelley Beaman, Director of Business Affairs

Elastic
Design Studio: Feed Me Light x Elastic
Executive Creative Director: Denis Bodart
Creative Director: Mark Mullan
CG Lead: David Calvet
CG Generalists: Pierre Clenet, Amelia Tzemis, Ricardo David, and Florent Rousseau
Compositor: John Wilkinson
Editor: Mark Mullan
Online Editor: John Valle
Creative Producers: David Botchey and Dai Davison
Producer: Kevin Daly
Executive Producers: Ryan Goodwin-Smith and Ben Leyland 
Executive Producer: Luke Colson
Executive Producer / Head of Production: Kate Berry
Managing Director: Jennifer Sofio Hall

Lime
Zac Fisher -Audio Mixer
Michael Baran -Audio Assistant 
Susie Boyajan -Executive Producer 

Comma Music
Bonny Dolan, Executive Producer
Lily Shallow, Producer
Pete Schmidt, Creative Director / Arranger

—Who Wants It

NHL
Brian Jennings – Exec VP, Marketing
Casey Hall – SVP, Marketing & Consumer Insights
Josh Dubin –  Sr. Director, Marketing
Glenn Hyams – Manager, Marketing
Allison Hellman – Sr. Manager, Consumer Research & Insights

Highdive
Chad Broude, Co-founder/ CCO
Mark Gross, Co-founder/ CCO
Megan Lally, Managing Partner, Operations, Account and Strategy
Jen Passaniti, Head of Production, Executive Producer
Alan Snitow, Lead Strategist
Kristin Woodke, Group Account Director
Jamie Lazaroff, Sr. Account Executive
Brian Culp, Creative Director
Katie Bero, Creative Director
Pat Seidel, Creative Director
Chris Rose, Creative Director 
Will St. Clair, Executive Producer
Kamerin McAllister, Producer
Kelley Beaman, Director of Business Affairs

Cutters
Billy Montross, Editor
Christian Leontios, Assistant Editor
Heather Richardson, EP
Patrick Casey, Head of Production

Another Country
Jordan Stalling, Sound Design + Mix
Erik Widmark, Sound Design + Mix

Flavor
Brian Higgins, Color
Chris Elliott, Color, Finish and VFX
Colby Capes, Graphics