It’s the third ‘Showdown’ campaign McDonald’s has done and the second with NHL stars (1993, 1997, 2025).
McDonald’s Canada has reignited its legendary “Showdown” campaign.
The new campaign, a nod to its 1993 and 1997 predecessors, features Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews and Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid. With a modern twist, the new one-minute and 13-second advertisement launched alongside a limited-time “Showdown Menu” featuring six hockey-inspired items, including the “Big Mac-David” and “Smoky Quarter Papi.”
The two compete with crossbar challenges to trick shots from the bleachers and even a puck through a billboard of McDavid’s face. At one point, McDavid ups the ante with a backhand shot set to Nickelback’s ‘Photograph’, while saying to Matthews, “You think this is a game, Papi?”
Nearing its end, the campaign ends with the duo walking into McDonald’s, asking, “Take a break?” as they set aside the competition to go to look at the Showdown Menu presumably.
McDonald’s Teases Commercial With Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews, Oilers Star Connor McDavid
The website homepage headlines, “What a bunch of beauties,” followed by a brief menu description.
“Featuring 6 all-star items like the ‘Big Mac-David’ and the ‘Smoky Quarter Papi,’ the Showdown Menu is here for a limited time,” the website read.
The six menu items are as follows:
– The Big Mac-David (Double Big Mac)
– The Smoky Quarter Papi (Smoky BBQ Quarter Pounder)
– Spicy Junior Chirpy (Spicy Buffalo Junior Chicken)
– The Hat Trick (Triple Cheeseburger)
– Power Play Poutine (Spicy Maple and Bacon Poutine)
– Celly Sundae
In the description, fans are encouraged to choose sides with their orders to either #97 (McDavid) or #34 (Matthews).
The full one-minute and 13-second commercial, released on Tuesday morning after a teaser on Monday, captures the duo having a trick-shot battle reminiscent of the original campaigns.
The stakes? A Big Mac, naturally.
The campaign pays homage to the 1997 McDonald’s commercial featuring hockey legends Mats Sundin and Wayne Gretzky, where the duo also held a trick shot competition across the arena to win a McDonald’s meal. Even further back, the 1993 campaign starred NBA icons Michael Jordan and Larry Bird in a similar contest, re-establishing the phrase “nothing but net.”
Last week, McDonald’s, Matthews, and McDavid had been posting cryptic messages on social media – and we now know why, setting the stage for the ‘Showdown Campaign.’
As per the website, fans of McDonald’s and the star duo can order from the menu at their local McDonald’s restaurant (participating restaurants), on the McDonald’s app, or via McDelivery for a limited time starting on January 7.
