Rochester Native Starts Off NBC’s New Stanley Cup Promo With Home Movies

Photo credit: Lindsay A. Mogle/AHL

Those familiar with the local sports scene have probably heard of Shane Prince, a Spencerport native who now plays for the NHL’s New York Islanders. According to the Democrat and Chronicle, Prince will be getting even more national shine than he receives during game time in the coming weeks.

Using footage from his childhood, Prince is the first person featured on NBC Sports’ new “Don’t Miss A Moment” Stanley Cup promotional commercial. Even his father, Dan, will get a brief moment in the video, as he’s seen holding up his son in a home video that captures Shane’s first ever experience skating on ice.

“That truly was the first time I put him on the ice,” Dan said. “He was probably between 11 and 14 months old. He hadn’t been walking long, I remember that, and he began walking when he was 10 months.”

The 30-second spot is expected to be aired during every major event carried by NBC Sports over the next couple months, as well as during every NHL game broadcast. The theme of the promo video is meant to capture the struggle players face throughout their journeys and show that a great moment can happen at any time.

“We wanted to talk about the journey of the hockey player,” said Bill Bergofin, senior vice president of marketing for NBC Sports. “All the moments that happened before these moments. The first time on skates, to playing juniors, to taking the lumps, and also the victories. Sports is a passion point for many people and almost a religion for a lot. We try to make it personal. Telling these kinds of stories is kind of our hallmark.”

While this sort of project will certainly be easier in another decade or so, tracking down footage from 15 to 20 years ago of the current players proved to be pretty difficult. In the future, today’s young parents will have the videos on their smartphones, which typically have a lifespan of about two years, to rely on.

Fortunately for Shane and NBC, Prince’s cousin, Brendan Prince, works for NBC as a graphic artist on various hockey projects. Also a Rochester native (he played hockey at Greece Arcadia/Olympia, and at Monroe Community College), Brendan was able to quickly track down the classic home footage when he first got wind of NBC’s project.

The clips of Shane Prince include the intro shot of him skating with his dad for the first time along with footage of Prince shooting pucks at an indoor facility, walking around in his old Spencerport house sporting a Buffalo Sabres jersey, and wielding a hockey stick. The promotional spots also show Shane at about 11 years old in tears following a loss to the the Czech Republic in the Quebec International Pee Wee Tournament 12 years ago.