After years of local Geico commercials featuring Capitals forward Nicklas Backstrom and defenseman Mike Green, the insurance company has now pegged Vezina Trophy winner Braden Holtby as one of its spokesmen.
Holtby’s duties include filming commercials and in a recently released ad, Holtby tries to make some incredible saves, but not exactly on the ice.
By Cara Bahniuk 5 years ago
Earlier in the year, Nicklas Backstrom filmed a bunch of spots for Geico and, as the season progressed, the commercials have been gradually released to the public. In January, Nicky taught us how to score 15 goals in 15 seconds. Then, a month later, he showed off a pretty graphic splinter. Now in April, we’re treated to a lockerroom interaction between Backstrom and the ghost of Lord Stanley.
GEICO continues its frankly unsustainable onslaught of commercials only tangentially related to whatever service it is they provide (I have no idea, does it have to do with cars?) with this new one featuring Nick Backstrom.
Without spoiling the gag, Backstrom is injured in the ad and also not immediately imperiling any gentlemen up for Academy Awards on Sunday.
By Peter Hassett 10 years ago
When Nicklas Backstrom suffered a neck injury in Russia a month ago, Caps nation was tense. Backstrom, who missed 42 games last year due to a concussion, proved how valuable he was to the organization just by being on the sidelines. The Capitals played some of their worst hockey in several years without their top pivot. What did we learn? Nicky is irreplaceable.
Well, via a new Geico commercial that was released today, we can see just how talented Backstrom is at hockey.
I’m not sure if I should ask, but if you haven’t gotten enough of the Geico Cavemen – and Lord Knows how could you not – here is Geico’s Second Commercial featuring Canada’s Best Defenseman, Mike Green. If you ask the Russian Machine for his opinion, this commercial is substantially better than the first, only because Mike Green is actually doing what he’s good at: playing hockey and mugging at the camera. No more of that silly “acting.”
So yes, this is a good hockey commercial. Why? Great dramatic lighting. Sweet Trick Shots. And a weird, almost confusing cameo by Head Coach Bruce Boudreau in the final seconds. Geico – you must have made a mistake – because this commercial is a pleasure to watch. As we did last time, let’s vote. How did Greener do? Let us know below:
If you were like me today, you spent your New Year’s the only way you know how, by watching hockey and drinking like you were 18 again. Yes, the NHL’s Third Annual Winter Classic was showcased today by our friends at NBC (we never forget Milbury), this time at Boston’s Legendary Fenway Park. The Philadelphia Flyers (and their fat and overweight dirty cheese-steak eating fans) made the trip up I-95 to play the Boston Bruins in a game for the ages that maybe had 8 good minutes of hockey.
What was the best part of the Winter Classic you ask? Well, beyond James Taylor’s stunning rendition of the National Anthem, it was definitely the debut of two commercials featuring prominent Capitals players. Mike Green made his acting debut and appeared in the Geico Commericial shown above (via gfcaps fan on japers), and Alex Ovechkin, Niklas Backstrom and cleverly edited extras wearing the #52 and #21 were in a Verizon Wireless Commercial shown here. Awesome.
I asked Peter, one of our lead writers, which commericial he liked best:
“The Washington Capitals’ invitation to the Winter Classic might have been lost in the mail, but the boys crashed it anyway. There’s the elegiac Verizon Wireless commercial that most everyone fawned over, but I really prefer Mike Green’s GEICO spot.
See, this commercial has everything I love. For starters, there’s Canada’s best defenseman, Mike Green. Plus those stupid cavemen get that institutional racism played out against them once more. Hijinx! Granted, I think GreenLife52 could benefit from a bit of the Stanislavsky method, but I still love this. NBC says we can’t be on a national hockey game? Listen up, Costas. Money talks.”
But see, I think he – like many other Capitals fans – were just wildly excited to see our players in commercials in general. And yeah, man. That’s sweet. I’m pumped too. We’re finally getting the recognition we deserve. But if you really watch the Geico Commercial and are looking at it from a fresh perspective, you notice that the Mike Green shown in this clip has about as much personality as a bag of potatoes. Okay, okay, I’m being too hard on him. He had as much personality as that creepy stack of money with the googley eyes.
Though, to be fair, his acting was 180 times better than whoever played the Geico Caveman.
But what do you guys think? Was Greener’s first commercial a huge success or a total letdown? Let us know and vote below:
