A Historical Commercial

These two men likely need no introduction when it comes to their hockey legacies. If you're wondering who they are, though, the man on the right is former NHL superstar and current TV hockey analyst Wayne Gretzky who, if my memory serves me correct, set a few scoring records during his time in the NHL and on the international stage. The man on the left is legendary Soviet Union netminder Vladislav Tretiak, and these two came together in 1987 to make a little TV history to go along with the myriad of accolades and records they hold in their careers.

There's no doubt that Wayne Gretzky was one of the most recognizable athletes on the planet in 1987 thanks to his work with the Edmonton Oilers. Vladislav Tretiak was fairly well-known as well after his work in helping the Soviet Union win virtually every hockey competition they entered. These two were definitely two of the biggest hockey stars on the planet at the time, and they somehow ended up promoting deodorant for Gillette on North American TV!
Despite that YouTube video feeling dated, that was the commercial that was filmed and aired in 1987 with both Gretzky and Tretiak. The 30-second advertisement isn't revolutionary by any means, and the product they were promoting has been around for a while now. However, this commercial marked a significant historical moment in Canadian TV due not-Canadian player in the commercial!

The commercial debuted on November 8, 1987 on Canadian television networks after being filmed in Montreal in early September of that year. Gillette began negotiations with Tretiak and the Soviet Sports Committee in March to bring the two players together to introduce the new Right Guard deodorant product with Tretiak and the Soviet Sports Committee finally signing off on the endorsement deal on September 4, 1987. The commercial was reportedly filmed on Labour Day for airing later in the year (as we saw).

In any case, that November 8, 1987 date is historical because Tretiak's appearance in the Gillette commercial was the first time that a Soviet athlete had been hired to appear in a television commercial. Prior to that, no Soviet athlete had appeared on North American television in any way other than sports highlights, so Gillette made a little history by hiring Tretiak to sell their scent! And just to add a little more to the story, Tretiak was reportedly eager to do the commercial as well!

Ken Coates, Gillette's advertising manager at the time, said he expected some controversy over the hiring, stating to reporters, "It would not surprise me. It doesn't matter what idea you come up with, there's going to be some opposition to it."

It doesn't sound like much has changed in the television world as there are still controversies over who gets hired, but it's a pretty cool fact that Vladislav Tretiak was the first Soviet athlete hired for a commercial in North America. There's no doubt that both Gretzky and Tretiak will be in hockey record books for decades to come with how good they were, but both men were part of a historical television moment back on November 8, 1987.

Thanks to Right Guard, this is one TV moment that doesn't stink!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!