At one point early in his career, Steven Stamkos was a pitchman for Tissot watches. So was then-Orlando Magic center Marcin Gortat. Which led to this photo.
Steven Stamkos and Marcin Gortat for Tissot pic.twitter.com/6xhaavy7
— Kristen Nugent (@KNmakeupdesigns) December 20, 2012
I’m not quite sure what the strategy was for this photo shoot. Did they just grab them off the streets and hand them each a prop? You can’t even see the watch on Gortat’s wrist.
While it doesn’t appear that he is still a Tissot pitchman, there was a time that he was featured fairly heavily in their marketing in North America. In 2011, to help push the release of a limited edition watch with his name on it, Stamkos answered some questions for fans on Twitter as he participated in a #TissotTimeOut question and answer session.
One of the first questions was from a future RawCharge contributor:
Other than my home rink I would say London RT @elseldo #TissotTimeOut what was your favorite rink to play in the OHL?
— Steven Stamkos (@RealStamkos91) November 10, 2011
I’m starting to wonder if Seldo has ever watched a non-Junior hockey game.
He also had a frustrating habit of re-Tweeting questions, but not answering them. Case in point:
RT @Brauntalk Would you rather take a slap shot from martin st. Louis or a straight punch from steve downie? #TissotTimeOut
— Steven Stamkos (@RealStamkos91) November 10, 2011
I really want to know the answer to that question. I’m going with straight punch from Steve Downie. There is no way his buddy puts everything into a punch. Marty doesn’t know how to let up, he’d blast the shot full force at Stamkos.
As always with these things there were a lot of food and drink questions:
Bella’s – We often go there for a pre-game meal RT @TampaRN #TissotTimeOut What’s your favourite place to eat out at in Tampa?
— Steven Stamkos (@RealStamkos91) November 10, 2011
Bella’s has a solid four-star rating on Yelp. But it doesn’t look like they have his favorite meal on the menu (although I’m sure they’d make it if he asked nicely)
Chicken Parmesan with a side of angel hair pasta. RT @jrfan1980 What is your favourite pregame meal? #TissotTimeOut!
— Steven Stamkos (@RealStamkos91) November 10, 2011
And I hope, no I pray that they don’t serve his favorite drink. No one should serve this drink, ever:
A Caesar. A Bloody Mary with Clamato juice. Super popular in Canada. RT @retardednews What’s your favorite drink? #TissotTimeOut
— Steven Stamkos (@RealStamkos91) November 10, 2011
There were a couple of hair-related questions:
Anything by Garnier 🙂 RT @RealJillWalker @dingdish #TissotTimeOut hair product?
— Steven Stamkos (@RealStamkos91) November 10, 2011
As long as we keep winning on a regular basis, I’ll keep it! RT @spartylicious56 how long is that flow staying?? #TissotTimeOut
— Steven Stamkos (@RealStamkos91) November 10, 2011
Which makes sense since this was the year he really let the hair go.
When asked is he was pleased with his performance so far in the season and if there was anything he could improve on, his answer was typically unexciting:
RT @CJLow79 So far so good. As a center my face-off needs to improve. #TissotTimeOut
— Steven Stamkos (@RealStamkos91) November 10, 2011
At the point where he was answering these questions he had already been named player of the month and had racked up 10 goals and six assists. I’m pretty sure he could have lost every faceoff for the rest of the season and Guy Boucher wouldn’t have cared as long as he scored 60 goals.
Another unanswered question that I would like to know the answer to:
RT @Esinead What do you think about the return of Jagr? Does he still have what it takes to compete against you young kids #TissotTimeOut
— Steven Stamkos (@RealStamkos91) November 10, 2011
That was over six years ago and Jagr is still going strong.
Stamkos doesn’t Tweet as much as he used to (there might be a reason for that). While a sponsor-driven Q&A session wasn’t the Lightning star at his on-line whackiest, it is a shame that he has gotten away from this kind of interaction.
Most likely, as he’s aged and grown more mature, he’s realized that more often than not, social media can turn out badly. He is the consummate professional and isn’t going to do anything to hurt his team or his brand.
Although, every once in awhile he’ll show some of his old 140-character goofiness.
Hey @radkogudas , remember what happened that time you wore a hat like this to a game as a rookie? 😉😄 pic.twitter.com/QK1SkJOxrz
— Steven Stamkos (@RealStamkos91) December 20, 2016
