Context
Perhaps these facts are known, but they are always worth repeating. This year we want to remind everyone that ice hockey and Kaunas are bound by much stronger ties than it seems.
A century has passed since the first ice hockey game was played in Lithuania – Kaunas, in 1922. A sport that was introduced by a Lithuanian American pilot Steponas Darius.
The event that gave birth to a new sport in the country was described as follows by the interwar weekly "Karys": "In the month of January, on the 22nd at one in the afternoon [...] a hockey match between Lithuanian and local foreign teams took place for the first time in Lithuania." Famous pioneers of this and other sports, such as Steponas Garbačiauskas, Kęstutis Bulota ir Steponas Darius were among the first goalscorers.
Problem
This year's celebration of Lithuanian ice hockey's 100th year anniversary took place in Kaunas at a museum. However it was private and only open to a select few. Although beautiful, the event falls short of the quality threshold set by the Kaunas – European Capital of Culture Program and the significance of the occasion.
Solution
Since this year Lithuania has received the right to host the Baltic Challenge Cup tournament in Kaunas, we proposed to combine these two important events. This gave more visibility and added value beyond the hockey community.
Deliverables
To capture Lithuania's rich ice hockey history and heritage, we planned, art directed, and staged a photoshoot. To commemorate the anniversary, a unique mark was made that was modeled after one of the original masters' rings. A promotional video was also produced using footage from the archives.
CLIENT: HOCKEY LIETUVA creative direction & PROJECT MANAGEment: KĘSTUTIS LINGYS COPYWRITER: KOTRYNA LINGIENĖ PLAYERS: Aivaras Bendžius, Laisvydas Kudrevičius, Jaunius Jasinevičius ART DIRECTION, RETOUCHING & DESIGN: ANDRIUS VAŠKEVIČIUS PHOTOGRAPHY: Teodoras Biliūnas MUA: JUSTĖ VAŠKEVIČIŪTĖ STYLIST: Roberta Čyžiūte VIDEO: Mantas Zinkevičius
