Apple today marked the return of NHL hockey with a new "Shot on iPhone" ad on its YouTube channel in Canada.
Titled "Hockey Tape," the 30-second video features Vegas Golden Knights players Marc-André Fleury and Mark Stone having some on-ice fun with the iPhone 11 Pro, which they attach to the boards, a hockey stick, and a skate with hockey tape.
"See the game like never before with Ultra Wide and Slo-mo," the video description reads. As usual, fine print indicates that additional hardware and software was used.
The ad was shot in February at the SoBe Ice Arena in Las Vegas, according to The Athletic, which has shared some behind-the-scenes coverage of the filming.
"They gave us a few props and had us do it ourselves. Have some fun, be yourself, do some goofy stuff, and we had a good time with it," Stone said. "The cool thing was they kind of gave us a script, but they let us do whatever and show our personalities. And (Fleury) has one of the biggest personalities in the league, so it made my life a lot easier."
The Golden Knights are one of 24 teams set to participate in the NHL's Stanley Cup Qualifiers, which begin today. All games will be played in the Canadian cities of Edmonton and Toronto, where players and other personnel have entered secure "bubbles" that are isolated from the general public.
Like other professional sports leagues, the NHL paused its 2019-20 season in March due to concerns over the coronavirus. The league announced a Return to Play plan in May that includes a new qualifying round to determine which teams advance to the traditional Stanley Cup Playoffs.
