Getty Jon Hamm at The Nice and Accurate event during SXSW at ZACH Theatre on March 09, 2019 in Austin, Texas.
The Boston Bruins got Denis Leary. The St. Louis Blues got Jon Hamm. I’ll let you judge who wins that matchup. Whereas the Boston comic did the NBC promo for the Stanley Cup Finals Game 1 at TD Garden, the star of “Mad Men” provided his Don Draper baritone for NBC prior to Game 3 at Enterprise Center.
Hamm was born in St. Louis and went to John Burroughs High School in Ladue. He played football, baseball and swam, and he has brought his love of sports into adulthood as he frequents Cardinals and Blues games in his hometown.
Here’s a look at his voiceover for Saturday night’s contest.
Are the voices in your head calling #Gloria? Jon Hamm says they should be.
The @StLouisBlues are hosting a #StanleyCup Final game for the first time in 49 years TONIGHT.
“It’s been 49 years since the Blues were in a Stanley Cup Final,” Hamm says at the start. “But we are here. And after this final, the only team singing the blues will be the Bruins.
“We’ve come from last place to here. So, are the voices in your head calling Gloria now? They should be, because there’s nothing like the Blues, and there’s nothing like the Stanley Cup.”
He has even impressed Blues defenseman Robert Bortuzzo with his hockey knowledge. “I was impressed with his knowledge of the team,” Helene Elliott quotes in a tweet. “Anytime someone knows sixth defenseman Robert Bortuzzo, I give him a lot of credit. True fan.”
Blues vs. Bruins Tied at 1-1
After losing Game 1 in Boston 4-2 after leading early, the Blues dug deep for an overtime win on Wednesday. Vladimir Tarasenko tied it a 2-2 late in the first period, and then neither team scored until Carl Gunnarsson at the 3:51 mark of overtime.
It was the first-ever Stanley Cup Finals victory for the franchise, who were swept in three straight appearances in 1968, 1969 and 1970. As the series shifts to the Midwest, the Blues have to reverse a negative trend at home to gain control. They are currently 4-5 at Enterprise Center in the playoffs.
The last home matchup was the decisive 5-1 thrashing of the Sharks to win the Western Conference finals. A repeat of that would get fans thinking about the first Stanley Cup title in St. Louis.
A big piece of that puzzle would be goalie Jordan Binnington returning to his regular-season form. He allowed just 1.89 goals per game in the first 82 games of the season, but has seen his average move up to 2.37 during the postseason. He only needed to save 21 shots for the 3-2 win in Game 2.
If he holds up under the elite Boston attack, it should give a middling St. Louis offense enough team to manufacture scoring to win.