Some Vancouver Canucks' fans joked that if their team met the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup final, they would boycott Boston Pizza simply because of its name. The Canadian restaurant chain never gave them that chance.
Within 15 minutes of the Bruins advancing to the final, Boston Pizza updated its website and became Vancouver Pizza. A Canucks logo appeared, along with a message that said, "Proud fans."
New signage has been ordered for all of the franchise's B.C. restaurants, along with stickers for the pizza boxes. The Vancouver Pizza name will remain for the length of the series.
It's not the first time the restaurant has tried such a gimmick. When the Montreal Canadiens faced the Bruins earlier in the postseason, about 25 locations in the Quebec city were rebranded Montreal Pizza.
The Shark Club sports bar made a similar move with its B.C. restaurants earlier this month when the Canucks faced the San Jose Sharks in the third round. It's temporarily being called the Vancouver Club.
Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson gave the latest move a thumbs up.
"I think it's great. I think it's fantastic to see business and community coming up with creative ways to support our Canucks and to respond to the fever for the cup right now. It's great to see that and I think they're going to sell a lot more pizza with the Vancouver brand on it."