Former Leafs lightning-rod Darcy Tucker and Wonderful Pistachios team up to reenergize Canadian snacking habits
TORONTO, April 19, 2016 /CNW/ - More than half of Canadians (55%) describe themselves as hockey fans, according to a recent survey commissioned by Wonderful Pistachios, and one in five fans say they watch the sport whenever it's on, often going to extraordinary lengths to catch the games.
"There may not be any Canadian teams in the Stanley Cup playoffs this year, but make no mistake – hockey fans will still sit down and watch each and every night," said former Maple Leafs fan favourite Darcy Tucker, who accrued 476 points and more than 1400 penalty minutes in his gritty 15-year NHL career.
The survey echoes this sentiment revealing that 33 percent of Canadian hockey fans would do just about anything to avoid missing a big game like duck out of work early, call in sick, bail on a friend or family commitment, cancel date night or would hide somewhere and watch the game on their phone. Tucker believes Canada's hockey fans need new snacking options to help get them through the three-month playoff season that stretches well into June.
"With each and every NHL playoff game available to watch on TV, Canadian hockey fans have a lot more viewing options today than when I used to play, but a lot of the snacks are the same old same," said Tucker, who recently incorporated pistachios into his snacking repertoire.
"Wonderful Pistachios are a snack of choice when watching hockey. Playoff games are well-known for going into double, even triple overtime, which is an emotional roller coaster for hockey fans. When my favourite team gets into one of these situations, I find the repetitive action of cracking open a pistachio a big stress-reliever that helps take the edge off any spectator anxiety I'm feeling."
Given how many games hockey fans will be watching during the playoffs this year, pistachios are a great alternative to potato chips and other common junk foods. Pistachios offer the most nuts per serving – with about 49 kernels per one ounce (approx. 30 grams) serving – when compared to other popular snack nuts. For the same serving size, you get only 18 cashews or 14 walnut halves. A 30-gram serving of pistachios also has three grams of fibre, more than some other nuts and pieces of whole fruit. For example, a 30 gram serving of cashews has one gram of fibre and one medium-size peach has two grams.
"Eating pistachios while watching sports is one of the biggest consumer snacking occasions," said Alisa Pospekhova, senior brand manager, Wonderful Pistachios. "Not to mention, the art of cracking the nut may help calm spectator nerves and it really adds to your overall game day experience."
Wonderful Pistachios offer a snack that is both tasty and engaging with four unique flavours— Roasted & Salted, No Salt, Sweet Chili and Salt & Pepper. Wonderful Pistachios are available at grocery stores across Canada, including Loblaws, Metro and Sobeys, Walmart, Overwaitea, Costco and others.
About the survey
From March 11th to March 12th, 2016 an online survey was conducted among 816 randomly selected Canadian adults who identify as hockey fans and who are Angus Reid Forum panelists. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/- 3.4%, 19 times out of 20. The results have been statistically weighted according to education, age, gender and region (and in Quebec, language) Census data. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.
About Wonderful Pistachios & Almonds
Wonderful Pistachios & Almonds is the world's largest vertically integrated pistachio and almond grower and processor. Grown in California's Central Valley, our high-quality nuts can be found in the produce department of grocery stores across America.
Known for our iconic Get Crackin' campaign, Wonderful Pistachios & Almonds is part of The Wonderful Company, a privately held $4 billion company. For more, visit: www.wonderful.com.
About The Wonderful Company
The Wonderful Company is a privately held $4 billion global company dedicated to harvesting health and happiness around the world. Its iconic brands include FIJI Water, POM Wonderful, Wonderful Pistachios & Wonderful Almonds, Wonderful Halos and Teleflora.
The Wonderful Company's connection to consumers has health at its heart and giving back in its DNA. To learn more about The Wonderful Company, its products and core values, visit www.wonderful.com.
SOURCE Wonderful Pistachios
Image with caption: "Wonderful Pistachios (CNW Group/Wonderful Pistachios)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160419_C8339_PHOTO_EN_668944.jpg
Kaitlyn Ward, [email protected], Office: 416-644-1381, Cell: 647-970-5248
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