Scotiabank goofs in 'first goal' ad, putting boy on Belleville Bearcats female team

While the situation is improving, it is hard enough for female hockey to get equal attention and respect without a big bank appropriating a team name for a national advertising campaign.

Unless you're really obsessive and/or had a family member (as I have) play for the Belleville Bearcats, you probably didn't take notice of the team that little Thomas is depicted scoring his first goal for during the Scotiabank commercial that has been running on NHL broadcasts during the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Well, people in and around Belleville, Ont., certainly noticed. The Bearcats are a female hockey team, and here is their moniker being used in a commercial where no female speaks and Thomas' older sister is dancing in the background like a cheerleader. That left Scotiabank with some egg on its face, which it has tried to put right with a $2,000 donation to the Bearcats hockey association.

"The reality is we made a mistake when we were filming the commerical," Scotiabank spokesman Clinton Braganza told Quinte News. "And so we want to apologize to all of the girls of the Belleville Bearcats that have played and have [for] 40 years, long history of being a girls hockey team.

"But, in reality, we didn't do our homework and we should have. We love the name Belleville Bearcats, you can tell in the actual spot ... one of the things we're going to do is double our support for the team next year."

All's well that ends well, then. It makes one wonder, though. If national advertisers in Canada often film alternate versions of commercials for the English and French-language markets, couldn't Scotiabank have filmed a second commercial that shows parents, a sibling and grandparents being just as wildly excited over a girl's first goal? The six-year-old girls in novice hockey will likely come of age when there is an established women's pro league. Just saying.

(Stick tap: @timdurkin.)

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet.