Boston Pizza releases ‘Champion Spray’ bringing Edmonton playoff smell anywhere

With the Edmonton Oilers down two games to the Los Angeles Kings in the playoffs, you can smell the comeback in the air. Literally.

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Edmonton-born restaurant chain Boston Pizza announced the release of the “Champion Room Spray,” which is meant to capture the smells of a playoff win in a single can and was motivated by the Oilers cup run last year.

“When we made this championship spray, we very much had the Oilers top of mind,” said Boston Pizza vice-president of marketing James Kawalecki.

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To get an idea of what the spray smells like, imagine the picture of a playoff-winning locker room. With plastic covering the walls from floor to ceiling, champagne spraying everywhere, sweaty hockey equipment strewn about, and beer spilling on the elated faces of champions, the Champion Room spray is meant to have it all.

Its become a familiar image in sports around the world, but Boston Pizza is attempting to bottle it for Canadians, which the franchise hopes will manifest Canadian success in this year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs.

“The championship spray was supposed to remind people it’s been a long time. It’s been 31 years now since anyone’s had the pleasure of being in one of those dressing rooms,” said Kawalecki.

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He said the scent was inspired in large part by the Edmonton Oilers run in the playoffs last year, putting them just a win away from Lord Stanley, before ultimately falling to the Florida Panthers in Game 7. However, the spray is also an extension of Boston Pizza’s marketing during last year’s playoffs, as they tried to unite Canadian fans under a single banner.

“The conversation sparked so much discussion online, on social, we knew we wanted to keep that going this year. And so this year, we’ve taken a more optimistic approach,” said Kawalecki.

Instead of pulling fans together to hope for the best, with notes of champagne, cheap lager, sweaty hockey gear, and used hockey pucks, the spray sets the scene (or scent) of success in the minds of fans to make the return of the Stanley Cup to Canada a reality.

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Last year’s ad campaign from the franchise was met with mixed responses. Some agreed that a Team Canada approach might be good for ending the 30-year cup drought, while others argued that support for a team was more important than the country. But this year’s playoffs come amid a surge in national pride in Canada, which could inspire a more united approach.

With Trump tariffs having now battered markets around the world, their initial aim at Canada spurred a passionate response from Canadians against the United States, and its products. Cities, provinces, and private citizens have all taken various steps to support Canada during the trade war, and now the playoffs give yet another chance to do so.

Canada is also fresh off of reclaiming its title of the game in the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament, where Oilers captain Connor McDavid helped win the title with a timely overtime goal to get a win in the final against the United States.

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“That’s still very fresh in people’s minds as well,” said Kawalecki.

“This is about Canada pride and bringing something back, because it is our game,” he added.

The “Champion Room Spray” is available at select Boston Pizza stores located across the country, including the ICE District location on 104 Avenue.

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