The Big Lead

NHL 2024-25 season kicks off with 'The Next Golden Era is Now' Campaign

The league's under-30 stars take center stage in a new commercial as the puck drops on a new season.

By J.P. Hoornstra

Oct 4, 2024; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid (97) handles the puck against the Vancouver Canucks during the second period at Rogers Arena.
Oct 4, 2024; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid (97) handles the puck against the Vancouver Canucks during the second period at Rogers Arena. / Bob Frid-Imagn Images
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With a new generation of stars ready to come into its own, the National Hockey League has a clever conceptual tie-in for its latest marketing campaign, "The Next Golden Era is Now."

Featuring Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, and a brief Sidney Crosby cameo, the league's new wave of talent is spoofing every "Gen Z" stereotype it can think of.

"We expect big promotions right away," says McDavid, the youngest captain in NHL history who last year brought the Oilers to within one win of their first Stanley Cup championship since 1990.

"Kids these days," says Crosby, who signed a two-year contract extension in September, on the cusp of his 20th NHL season — all with Pittsburgh.

Watch the full spot here:

The St. Louis Blues and Seattle Kraken kick off the domestic regular season Tuesday with a rare 4:30 p.m. (ET) game on ESPN. New Kraken head coach Dan Bylsma made history by appointing assistant coach Jessica Campbell to his staff, making her the first female coach ever on an NHL bench.

The Panthers will hoist their first-ever Stanley Cup banner, avenging their 2023 Finals defeat, prior to their 7 p.m. ET game against the Boston Bruins. Boston fans will get their first look at No. 1 center Elias Lindholm, who signed a seven-year, $54.25 million contract in free agency.

The Utah Hockey Club will host its first game at 10 p.m. ET against the Chicago Blackhawks. The former Arizona Coyotes franchise picked up its tent stakes after last season, was sold to Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith, and relocated to Salt Lake City.

Whether the marketing campaign lives up to its name will be revealed in time. But the sudden surplus of 20-something stars seems like a logical place to start — even if McDavid and Matthews aren't the second coming of Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux in the cultural zeitgeist.

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