Justified Arrogance

Every once in a while, if you truly do something better than anyone else, it’s good MARKETING to tell folks about it.  This image was captured on live TV during the Montréal Canadiens victorious 1993 Stanley Cup series against the L.A. Kings.  (Full disclosure: I am a big Habs fan.)

The situation was game 4, when the series was still very much in doubt.  This was a close game, with some pretty damn good hockey players, including Luc Robitaille, Tomas Sandstrom, and (you may recognize this name) Wayne Gretzky, taking shots at goalie Patrick Roy.   There was a particularly intense barrage near the end of the third period.  As Sandstrom skated past the net between plays, Patrick gave him the now-famous “wink.”

Arrogant?  Yes.  Effective?  Probably.  Good marketing?   ABSOLUTELY.   As I’ve written about before, my philosophy about what makes the best marketing in the world, is telling people what you are going to do (or at least try your best to do), and then DOING it.  Saint Patrick was promising Mr. Sandstrom that he would not allow him to score a goal that night.  And Tomas didn’t.  Promise made; promise kept.

If you would like to see “the wink” on tape, check this link.  It’s a rap music (oxymoron?) video by a gentleman named Annakin Slayd, that is about the Habs’ drive for the 2010 Cup, and includes “the wink” at the 2:23 mark.  It’s actually quite a catchy tune, and has some awesome hockey footage if you choose to watch the whole thing.  Don’t miss Maurice Richard’s space-and-time-bending move at about 0:18.  I don’t think Mr. Einstein’s ideas about the speed of light apply on that deke.

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