They're back. Well they never really left. We're talking, of course, about the Smithe brothers -- Walter, Tim and Mark -- of furniture fame. They and their often off-the-wall television commercials are nearly always visible on some television station. Tim Smith, the middle brother, orchestrates the advertising for the Walter E. Smithe furniture empire, and he likes to play off of hot popular culture events of the moment. And we mean "popular culture" in the broadest possible sense. Right now, the Chicago Blackhawks are a hot commodity as they remain in the playoffs for the Stanley Cup. So Tim Smithe has seen to it that the latest Walter E. Smithe commercial breaking today is in part designed to cheer on the team, while paying tribute to several hockey Hall of Famers, including Dennis Savard, Tony Esposito and Stan Mikita.
These legendary figures appear on ice in their Blackhawks jerseys alongside the so-called "sofa hall of famers," while a debate ensues about who is going to play against whom. It's all handled with a very tongue-in-cheek touch that stops just short of collapsing into utter silliness, even though the spot does end with the Smithe boys being pulled around the rink by a Zamboni ice resurfacer.
