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The Story Behind the Vancouver Canucks' New Pre-Game Video

Rossland, B.C.'s own Juicy Studios and director Scotty Carlson added to their resume with this year's attitude-filled NHL intro.
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Scotty Carlson


Canucks fans will notice something different about the franchise's pre-game festivities this season, and the team's continued brand overhaul was on display in Saturday's home opener.

For the early adopters out there, the Canucks showed off an impressive new light display – the stanchions in between the glass now glow blue and green – and the jumbotron is bolstered by swanky, more interactive and mobile headshots of the team's starting lineup.

But, most noticeable and most talked-about was Vancouver's new pre-game, pump-up video, which was put together by Rossland, B.C.'s Juicy Studios. The video was helmed with the help of several hometown favourites – starring new coach John Tortorella, defenceman Kevin Bieksa, captain Henrik Sedin, goalie Roberto Luongo, and White Rock boy Jason Garrison – and directed by Scotty Carlson.

Carlson was on-hand for Saturday's demolition of the Edmonton Oilers – 6-2, by the way – to see his made-in-B.C. production come to life.

"You want people to get excited and cheer and sometimes, you know, they might not, but tonight they did and it felt really incredible," Carlson said in the hallway between the fifth-level sky boxes, where he watched the game with Canucks staff and a host of Vancouver's media elite – present and potential.

"It was just one of those moments you'll remember forever."

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Vancouver's on-ice display was ready for its close-up on Saturday, as the Canucks throttled Edmonton for 40-plus shots and cruised to the 6-2 victory. Captain Henrik Sedin had three assists to lead the way, while both Ryan Kesler and Daniel Sedin added their first goals of the season.

Off-ice and in the stands, however, the Canucks' staff has been working to give its fans that special something. The club wants to create an atmosphere to brag about, and believes new initiatives – like the above Rossland-made pre-game film with the "us against the world" attitude – are as much a part of the game as the goals.

"We've grown a lot over the past three years and we wanted to set a new bar for our fans and the league this season," said Canucks Vice-President of Brand Development, Ali Gardiner, in a press release last week. "We're always looking for creative inspiration in the world of sports and entertainment."

For fans, however, the videos and promos often impress but can be taken for granted. Sure, it's pretty and you appreciate it, but not everyone might understand the immense amount of work that goes into it – the work that was just completed by Carlson and his crew at Juicy.

"Obviously, you just want fans to see it and really enjoy it," Carlson said on Saturday. "Feel the experience that you're trying to craft and get the mood and the tone. We put a lot of effort into just making that two-and-a-half minutes feel like it was for them.

"It's kind of one of those moments that you won't forget. You sit there and you're a part of something huge, but it's just a very personal moment for yourself."

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*Below are some samples from Juicy Studios's other work, including videos for EA Sports, Red Bull, and The North Face...

EA Sports – "SSX"

Royal B.C. Museum – "Roar"

The North Face – "Hyvent"

Red Bull – "Stomping Ground"