Auston Matthews is back and the signs of his return were evident after his skate with teammates on Long Island. It’s confirmed. McDonald’s Canada has brought together two of the NHL’s biggest stars, Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/edmonton-oilers/], in a new commercial teasing an upcoming release. The advertisement, which debuted Monday on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/p/DEfLykSu0kS/], is a nod to the iconic 1997 McDonald’s one-minute commercial featuring hockey legends Mats Sundin and Wayne Gretzky. In the original ad [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLmwElcaF7c], Sundin and Gretzky competed in trick shots in different areas of the rink – and even the catwalk – with the stakes being lunch at McDonald’s. Now, 28 years later, Matthews and McDavid are adding their own twist on the classic ad – the new 13-second commercial features the theme of playing for lunch, specifically the company’s iconic BigMac. The video caption read, “are you ready for a barn burner?” “What’s in the bag,” Matthews asked McDavid. “Lunch. BigMac,” McDavid responded. “Play you for it,” said Matthews. “Game on. First one to miss – watches the winner eat,” McDavid said as the two can be seen lining up for a faceoff. The ad ends with the cryptic text, “The Puck Drops 01.07.25,” leaving room for speculation about what McDonald’s has planned for January 7. Both Matthews and McDavid reposted the campaign on their personal Instagram stories with captions of “It’s on” and “Play you for it.” The commercial is the culmination of several days of cryptic social media posts from McDonald’s, Matthews, and McDavid. On January 2, McDonald’s Canada posted a tweet reading, “something's about to change the game forever.” Hours later, McDavid tagged Matthews on X, saying, “crossbar and in, let’s see it.” The following day, Matthews replied, “bet you can't hit a billboard from 50 feet.” While the exact nature of the promotion remains unclear, fans have been speculating what it could be online. One X user, Dapper_Tux [https://x.com/Dapper_Tux/status/1874833865854075242] wonders if McDonald’s is bringing back the Hockey Hero Burger, a limited-time menu item that was also featured in a 1996 commercial. Others have theorized that it could be a new product or a promotional campaign tied to the NHL season in general. With McDonald’s Canada teasing more to come, we’ll have to see on January 7 what’s next for the campaign. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjExNjM5NDEwNTc4NDM0MDI0/googlenews.svg] Stay updated with the most interesting Maple Leafs stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwytvfCA?ceid=CA:en&oc=3] to never miss a story.
