Campbell River hockey fans watching the Canucks in the Stanley Cup playoffs this year will have seen the Salmon Capital of the World's name in the Cheetah Power Surge commercial on Hockey Night in Canada.
And it's all thanks to local radio personality Dave Reynolds of 99.7 The River.
"We knew each other from a past life when he was in Toronto," said Cheetah Power Surge owner Frank D'Angelo on the phone from Toronto. "He told me how he loves where he is."
Cheetah was doing the commercial and Reynolds volunteered to do the voice-over announcing on the commercial. Reynolds didn't have to fly back east to do the job, the state of digital recording is such that performers don't have to be in the same room or even the same province, D'Angelo pointed out.
In return for the voice-over announcing, D'Angelo agreed to put in a shout-out to Campbell River which appears at the end in a red banner on the bottom of the screen that says "Thanks to Dave Reynolds from Campbell River, B.C. Salmon Capital of the World."
D'Angelo is the goalie in the commercial and when he stops the puck some versions of the commercial have a message come on the screen saying, "Big Save. Like catching salmon in Campbell River, B.C."
D'Angelo heard so many positive things about Campbell River he said that he's thinking he should come out and see it. If he does, he'll certainly get a warm welcome from the Campbell River Food Bank. D'Angelo also made a $5,000 donation to the Food Bank after Reynolds told him about the challenges the food bank here and everywhere in the country face.
"I didn't know how bad a shape they are in," D'Angelo said.
Campbell Riverites will remember how important the food bank is to Reynolds. For two years in a row he has lived in truck trailer at Christmas time until it gets filled with food donations for the Campbell River Food Bank.
D'Angelo is convinced about the importance of the food bank to communities around the country and plans to make donations to other food banks in other communities.
The Cheetah Power Surge commercial appears on the broadcast just before Don Cherry's Coaches Corner segment.