Again this year, Labatt Breweries is attaching its Blue brand to the holy grail of Canadian sports fantasies, the Stanley Cup. The seven-spot ‘Out of the Blue’ campaign, through Toronto agency Ammirati Puris Lintas, began airing this month and will continue throughout the playoffs.

u.s. director Jonathan David, working out of The Partners’ Film Company, helmed the nine-day shoot at the beginning of February (only seven of the nine days were used for shooting because of night shoots).

Although shot entirely in British Columbia, the spots depict a cross-Canada tour by a band of Canadian guys who come across the Stanley Cup at the Vancouver airport.

The first ad, ‘Baggage Carousel,’ introduces the adventure over 60 seconds. The other six spots are :30s.

Shot in shades of blue, ‘Baggage Carousel’ opens on three young men as they arrive six hours late at Vancouver International Airport. To their tremendous delight, they find the Stanley Cup (wrapped in a form-fitting guitar-style case) on the baggage carousel. They heist the cup and proceed to get on a bus, where amid an excited round of high-fives, they go to the train station. ‘Trains are good,’ one character intones. Then, the recognizable Labatt Blue logo comes on screen with a voiceover saying: ‘A whole lot can happen out of the blue.’ The spot closes on the boys walking through the train, hoisting the fabled trophy with glee.

Bob Chant, Labatt director of pr, is pleased with the result: ‘The rich color and production value goes with our Blue brand.’

Chant appreciates the work of director David, a New Yorker repped out of Los Angeles’ Morton Jankel Zander.

David, who also directed the u.s. Labatt campaign, had a great time in Canada. ‘One thing that is really amazing,’ he says, ‘is the degree that Canadians love hockey. I had no idea. It’s kind of like baseball and football combined in the United States.’

The director reflects on the campaign: ‘It’s kind of a continuing story, but it’s mostly continuing in terms of the locations where it stops, and the traversing of Canada. And, at the same time, it’s the continuous buildup of the events for the characters. What happens to them? They run the gamut from finding the Stanley Cup, to enjoying it, losing their girlfriend over it, having to explain why they have it to their parents, to finally returning the Cup via messenger.

‘We tried to keep a documentary feel about the whole thing. We didn’t want it to be too slick or splashy,’ David says. ‘But basically there’s a sense of abandon. Of suddenly, when the cup shows up, good things happen. Out of the blue, good things happen.’

The chiefly Canadian crew ‘worked with BC Rail and found some older train cars.’ David explains that it was ‘difficult to light the tight quarters, but we managed to get the job done.’

Other Americans on the shoot were dop Eric Engler, assistant director Peter Jackson and David’s line producer, Buzzy Cancilla.

Cancilla was impressed with the Canadians: ‘It was pulled together very quickly and very efficiently by the Vancouver crew. The crew had done several commercials on BC Rail in the past, so it really helped that they were up to speed working on the train.’

David was also impressed. ‘We had an excellent experience in Canada. Everybody was really attentive, smart and capable. Really with it.’

Partners’ Don McLean executive produced. Agency credits go to creative director Doug Robinson, art director Benjamin Bensimon, writer Mark Biernacki, executive producer Pat White and line producer Carmelle Prud’Homme. Michelle Czukar at Panic and Bob edited. The music was engineered by Jody Colero at The Einstein Bros.

Cancilla has accolades for the whole team: ‘As productions go, it was one of my all-time favorites. The creatives were terrific, the crew was great – they worked so hard.’

There were a few blips. Cancilla laughs about damage the replica trophy took in shipping from Toronto. ‘It arrived needing a little repair work. The production assistant had to bring it to the prop house for some minor repairs. He had it in the front seat of his car and he said that ‘people were going wild.’ ‘

The pa joked to the line producer that given a camera, he could have done his own commercial. Cancilla wasn’t surprised. ‘The whole crew was excited to work with [the Stanley Cup].’

David says he would welcome the opportunity to work in Canada again. ‘I’d love to. I’m always looking for a good board. That’s the criteria. Strong concepts – smart comedy.’