The last time a Canadian NHL team won the Stanley Cup, Jurassic Park and Sleepless in Seattle were about to be released to wowed cinemagoers. After 30 years, Boston Pizza is asking fans to put petty grudges aside and root for a team from their home country to bring the trophy home.

The casual dining chain’s “Team Up for the Cup” is all about putting aside bitter, longstanding NHL rivalries, and is Camp Jefferson’s first major work for the brand since winning the AOR remit last year. The campaign plays off of the fact that the last time one of the NHL’s seven Canadian teams won the Stanley Cup was when the Montreal Canadiens were victorious in 1993.

The campaign itself is anchored by a 30-second spot called “30 Years of Suffering,” which references some of the heartbreaking playoff defeats that fans of Canadians teams have endured throughout the past three decades, conveyed via a TV being driven over by a truck among other destructive acts.

“The funny thing is that despite our competitiveness, we’ve all been suffering together for decades,” says Ian Barr, SVP head of strategy at Camp Jefferson. “It’s been over 30 years since the Cup has been on Canadian soil. That’s ridiculous. As a brand that’s about bringing people together, we thought it would be fun to leverage that shared suffering.”

Camp Jefferson first started teasing the campaign with street-level ads referencing just how much time has elapsed since a Canadian team last brought the Cup home. Campaign components include ads referencing period-specific elements including the long-defunct Blockbuster Video chain. Additionally, a nationwide influencer and sports personalities campaign is distributing items reminiscent of the last time a Canadian team won the cup, like Beanie Babies.

The campaign aligns with BP’s longstanding strategy of creative and engaging marketing that taps into major cultural markets and exists across both traditional and emerging media channels. Previous examples include last year’s temporary “name change” to “Auston Pizza” after Auston Matthews’ Toronto Maple Leafs advanced in the first round while their bitter rivals, the Boston Bruins, were eliminated.

The playoff campaign is running across TV and OLV, radio, social, and contextually reactive digital and OOH in the vicinity of Canadian teams’ home arenas. All the assets drive to a dedicated microsite, called Team Up for the Cup, where fans are invited to sign a detailed pledge of support for every Canadian team still standing in playoffs.

“While the brand has launched microsites for data collection in the past, the types and frequency of our playoff offers is a first for the brand,” Boston Pizza vice president of marketing James Kawalecki tells strategy.

UM Canada is the media buyer, Heads & Tales handled PR.

“This playoff season represents our largest media spend of the year to this point. We’re looking forward to making an impact,” Kawalecki says.