A pair of green men were in attendance at the Edmonton Oilers’ Game 3 matchup at Rogers Place last night, dressed in morphsuits and cheering on a playoff hockey game.
It’s a scene hockey fans have seen many times over the last decade — except there were a few problems with the whole ordeal.
One, it wasn’t a Vancouver Canucks game, where The Green Men have become a cult legend for their penalty box-side antics, despite an eight-year hiatus before a return this year.
And two, it wasn’t the duo of diehard Canucks fans Sully and Force, but seemingly a pair of imposters teaming up with a Winnipeg Jets and Toronto Maple Leafs fan as part of a Boston Pizza ad campaign encouraging fans to celebrate the last Canadian team standing, all in hopes of winning the country’s first Stanley Cup since the Montreal Canadiens did it in 1993.
Doing whatever it takes to break the 30 year curse. #TeamUpForTheWin pic.twitter.com/oMSpO6QOQb
— Boston Pizza (@bostonpizza) May 28, 2024
While they didn’t land the Green Men, Boston Pizza managed to get Dart Guy — a Leafs fan who went viral way back in 2017 for appearing on the broadcast of a Toronto playoff game on the road in Washington with a cigarette in his mouth — on the campaign.
A shot of the fans cheering was also shown on the Sportsnet broadcast.
Die-hard fans from different Canadian markets have joined the @EdmontonOilers bandwagon 🍁 pic.twitter.com/5DL3FWXo7t
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 28, 2024
Fans, well, almost unanimously hated it.
I vote for another 30yr curse then https://t.co/mi7ko64gah
— daniel (@danrevill) May 28, 2024
it’s actually incredible how astoundingly tone deaf this ad campaign is https://t.co/lGejurOVK4
— em (@canxawfc) May 28, 2024
This ad campaign is actively making me want to avoid Boston pizza
The next time I think “I’m gonna go to Boston pizza”, I’ll remember these ads and go somewhere else instead even if it’s out of my way https://t.co/KBiSEXtdhc
— Commander Vandhers left leg (@DalvirVandher) May 28, 2024
The Temu Green Men that no one ordered. @TheGreenMen https://t.co/qorTyDmqA0
— Temple Divided (@TempleDivided) May 28, 2024
Canadians are not serious people https://t.co/i2zEbNWTem
— 𝐅𝐚𝐛𝐬 (@Fabio227) May 28, 2024
https://t.co/lGejurOVK4 pic.twitter.com/tzBFM25yBb
— em (@canxawfc) May 28, 2024
And with these cheap Green MIMICS it’ll be 30 more! https://t.co/oMRBvxPumK
— cowboy umarell (@yolowoho) May 28, 2024
Gonna be a 120 year curse now. Thanks Boston Pizza. https://t.co/uoQ4Y7Zg1g
— Arr Sea (@6o4boi) May 28, 2024
This is desperate as hell.
Cringe ass marketing campaign that should have been scrapped at the whiteboard. https://t.co/ZEJNOXcpsb
— Ryan Clarke (@NoLogsNoCrime) May 28, 2024
Just like your food:
There are better options somewhere else and you probably paid too much. https://t.co/gmFGHYoFmr
— Bryan (@kesrows) May 28, 2024
To make matters worse, the Green Men imposters couldn’t have been received well by the Oilers, who reportedly complained to the NHL about the pair’s antics during last round’s matchup against the Canucks.
According to CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal, the team complained to the league about a sign that was shown on-air reading “Evander… what’s the parlay tonight?” targeted at Edmonton forward Evander Kane, who had previously filed for bankruptcy and claimed to have lost $1.5 million gambling, per a 2021 ESPN story.
In any case, maybe Boston Pizza’s marketing department is just hoping any press is good press.
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