“Love it” "Better than Christmas": NHL fans go wild as Connor McDavid & Auston Matthews team up for epic ‘showdown’ commercial

Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews are two of the biggest stars in the NHL right now and fans almost broke the internet after the two hockey players teamed up for a McDonald’s Canada advertisement campaign.

The advertisement's teaser which dropped on Instagram, featured the stars in a showdown on the ice. In the ad, the duo engaged in a face-off to win a Big Mac. The ad closed with a message from McDonald’s which informed the viewers that the “puck drops” on January 7.

Hockey fans were giddy with excitement after the short teaser was posted on McDonald’s Canada’s Instagram account. The comments section on the post was flooded with happiness and excitement.

Image via Instagram/@mcdonaldscanada

"Wow this is better than Christmas," one fan commented.

"Yo no way I have been waiting for some type of hockey back at McDonald’s haha," another fan said.

"Idk what’s happening but I love it already," an Instagram user commented.

"I feel like this will be the next gen version of the Gretzky Sundin McDonald’s ad from the 90s," one fan commented.

The full advertisement was released on McDonald’s Canada’s YouTube channel on Tuesday. The video featured the Oilers and Maple Leafs captains dressed in jerseys inspired by the fast food chain’s colors - red and yellow.

In the video, Connor McDavid was practicing his shots when Auston Matthews walked onto the ice. The duo were competing for a Big Mac and challenged each other to score with harder challenges. After trying in vain to one-up each other, the hungry pair headed to McDonald’s for a meal.

Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews face off in showdown campaign

Mar 29, 2021; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid (97) and Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews (24) battle for position in the third period - Source: Imagn

The McDonald’s ad campaign takes a page from the 1993 showdown campaign which featured two of the NBA's biggest stars, Larry Bird and Michael Jordan. McDonald's revealed that new burgers named after Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid would be added to their menu as a part of this campaign.

A press release from the company about the campaign said:

“Will Canadian hockey fans prefer a classic taste and choose the Big Mac-David or perhaps something a little adventurous like the Smoky Quarter Papi? Fans can pledge their support to #97 or #34 with their McDonald's order."

McDavid and Matthews are star performers for their respective teams and have earned several accolades during their careers. With this advertisement, they pulled no punches in promoting the new burgers named after them. The new menu was launched on Tuesday and will be available for a limited period at select McDonald's restaurants in Canada.