Remember last year when I commented that the NHL jumped the gun on it’s “History Will Be Made…” advertising campaign by creating an advertisement featuring Marc-Andre Fleury after Game 3 of the Penguins/Canadiens series?  Well, they are at it again, but this time it’s after Game 1 of an opening round series.

I think the “History Will Be Made” series is one of the best advertising campaigns the NHL has ever done, but by rushing to create ads from the current playoff season they are watering it down too much.  We all remember what happened to Fleury in last year’s playoffs where Flower stunk out the joint in Game 7 of the Montreal series, right?  It kind of makes his 2010 appearance in this campaign a bit laughable now.

Remember the old days when a coach would tack an article from a newspaper up on the bulletin board with some specific quotes highlighted to try and motivate his team?  This has become the modern day equivalent.  Imagine the Tampa Bay Lightning sitting around their hotel rooms watching this video and using it as motivation. 

Maybe I’m just being superstitious, but you don’t talk about a pitcher throwing a no-hitter, you don’t talk about a goalie in the midst of a shutout and you certainly don’t start taking a single game’s performance and start including it in an advertising campaign during that year’s playoff run. 

Last year I talked about great moments being defined once you can view them with the benefit of hindsight so you can place them in their proper context.  If the Penguins’ Game 1 performance ends up setting the tone for a Cinderella-like run deep into the playoffs that’s one thing.  If it just ends up being a footnote to a disappointing early exit that’s another.  We just don’t know yet.  I said it last year and I’m saying it again this year — “It’s just too soon, NHL.”