Exclusive: There’s Nothing Strange About David Harbour’s Role in WBD’s Stanley Cup Campaign

Sports fans watching hockey on TNT and TBS may have seen stars from across the NHL trading stories about hockey’s biggest hype man: Gordo St. John.

But just who plays the mysterious fictional character that even Wayne Gretzky has an encounter with?

Heading into Warner Bros. Discovery’s first year as the home of the Stanley Cup finals, the company enlisted NY Rangers fan and Stranger Things star David Harbour to headline its cross-platform promotional campaign, where his character has been “hired” by the NHL on TNT team—but Gordo’s ideas might not always be the best.

The full spot unveiling Harbour as Gordo St. John will premiere Tuesday night on TBS during Game 1 of the Rangers vs. Devils series.

Last week, the first teaser debuted across NHL on TNT, B/R Open Ice, NHL on TNT studio talent, and NHL league and club social talent. In a single day, it pulled in 1.5 million views and over 100,000 engagements, also running across the WBD portfolio through Monday’s opener.

Gretzky, Liam McHugh, Anson Carter, Paul Bissonnette and Henrik Lundqvist are heavily featured in the campaign, as well as a host of other top players from across the NHL.

Harbour, who is a frequent presence at Madison Square Garden to cheer on the Rangers, told Adweek that his part of the campaign was shot in a single day and included him getting hit in the face by a rubber sea urchin shot by “Biz” [Bissonnette].

“Those guys are all very funny, from the creatives who wrote the script to our inventive director to those nuts that sit behind the desk and call the games who graciously played with me for a day,” Harbour said. “They were very open to my ideas, but I had seen the other spots they’d worked on—like the Ted Lasso and the Bryan Cranston baseball one—and I knew if I just did what they had written, I’d be well served.”

For Harbour’s part, he was eager to participate in the campaign because he “was told that if I did this, they’d give the Stanley Cup to the Rangers this year.”

“I am a hockey fan, I am very happy that Gordo St. John and his terrible ideas are fictional, but yes, it’s a dream to have Gretzky talk about you in an interview, even if it’s all pretend,” Harbour added.

The execution

Done entirely internally, and creatively led by Tyler Lassiter, the full-length spot will run across WBD’s portfolio and in paid placements across social, digital, CTV and linear. In addition, a finals-specific version will launch closer to the championships.

“Since this is the first year we’ve had the Stanley Cup [finals], the company has really rallied around this as an effort,” Ed Romaine, svp and head of marketing and brand development at WBD Sports, told Adweek.

That also involves partnerships across WBD’s portfolio, including a CNN takeover, OOH campaigns and Food Network spots.

“I’m excited that everyone was together and provided support to make sure it felt like a marquee event for the company,” Romaine added.

The concept for Gordo St. John was created last season, and WBD shot footage with players during the NHL player media tour in the offseason, which then became the teaser.

“We were trying to come up with something that was creative and innovative. David Harbour has a great resonance universally because of Stranger Things,” said Romaine. “We wanted to thrill and get core fans excited, but also make the game approachable and funny to folks that are more casual so they feel like they can’t miss out.”

The NHL’s marketing team described WBD as “phenomenal partners,” and the two groups have been in collaboration since early in the process.

“They’ve been very open to our input and feedback, and we as a league value all of our rights holders and the talent and input that they bring,” Casey Hall, the league’s svp of marketing and consumer insights, told Adweek. “But we also enjoy having a seat at the table and being part of those conversations so that we can coordinate and plan what we at the league are going to do so that we’re complementary to each other.”

A heavy social push

Warner Bros. Discovery learned last year that social marketing can play a huge role in growing fans of the game and leaned into digital efforts to get the Gordo St. John campaign on a wide radar.

“We feel things like the image campaign and tune-in spots really cover the core fan, while we’re trying to evangelize a little bit broadly into more of a casual fan as well,” Romaine said.

“Digital and social is a key component of the media mix for us,” added Hall. “It’s critical to expand reach, to reach younger audiences and to reach audiences who may not already be on the linear networks and platforms that we’re advertising on.”

WBD is already planning potential offshoots for the Gordo St. John campaign, including a blooper or outtake reel, limited-run merchandise and other ways to popularize the character.

Further marketing efforts

In addition to the campaign with Harbour, WBD is launching a Stanley Cup-themed mini-social series on House of Highlights and B/R National for broader sports fans, and teamed up with current pro female hockey player Reagan Rust of the Metropolitan Riveters for social recaps and explainers.

The group is also supporting NHL initiatives like a bracket challenge with a Beat Gretzky league where fans can make their picks against the hockey legend, and the Stanley Cup Tour, which will see the Cup visit the B/R HQ for content and more. 

Outside of WBD, the NHL also launched a playoff campaign on Monday in partnership with agency Highdive. The three spots premiered nationally Monday night across the ESPN networks and will run Tuesday night on TBS.