If you haven’t had the good fortune or sense to watch the Stanley Cup Finals on the CBC (and you are watching the Finals, of course), you’ve missed some truly inspired openings.
Game 1 gave us this practically artsy montage-in-reverse to set the stage for the rematch of last year’s SCF.
But without doubt, the greatest, most epic intro is this parody of the Dos Equis commercial starring Don Cherry as “the most interesting man in the universe” — and, in true Grapes fashion, dressed like a flamingo.
Of course, ESPN, in its typically half-assed approach to covering the NHL, decided to rip off the CBC’s brilliant idea, creating its own Dos Equis parody featuring its own ex-NHL coach-turned-TV analyst, Barry Melrose. As you can see, it lacks the same panache (and garish menswear).
Of course, it also suffers for being an incredibly lame commercial promoting SportsCenter — unintentionally funny, given how rarely SportsCenter deigns to cover the NHL since the self-proclaimed “Worldwide Leader” no longer owns broadcast rights to the league.
By contrast, Don Cherry, for all his questionable taste in suits and politics, is quintessential Canadiana.
Stay thirsty, my Canadian friends.
