We all know sports rivalries within families can grow pretty spirited around the holidays and lead to some uproarious moments, especially between family members from Boston and New York. One ill-timed jab about the Yankees missing the playoffs or someone failing to pay proper reverence to Bobby Orr and next thing you know Uncle Rich is going after Dad like John Wensink and Carol Vadnais (if you’re too young, Google it), while Mom and Aunt Carol try to break it up.

As a lifelong fan of the Boston Bruins, filmmaker Bobby Farrelly understands this dynamic as well as anyone. This year, NBC Sports and the NHL enlisted the director of “Dumb and Dumber” and “There’s Something About Mary” to create a series of hilarious promos for the league’s upcoming Thanksgiving Showdown between the Bruins and New York Rangers at 1p.m. on November 29 on NBC.

Shot on location in the working class Boston neighborhood of Dorchester, the commercials depict what happens when a Beantown family hosts their New York cousins for Thanksgiving dinner. Bruins Hall of Famer Cam Neely and Ranger All-Star Mike Richter bring the star power and even face off in a pretty epic game of street hockey.

“I worked with Cam in the past on the original ‘Dumb and Dumber,’” says Farrelly, checking in from Atlanta where he’s just about to wrap up filming “Dumb and Dumber To” [sic]. “A lot of people still to this day talk to me about [Neely’s toughguy trucker character] Seabass. It was unforgettable. So I’ve been close with Cam ever since. I’d never met Mike Richter, but when I play with my buddies in our beer league, I’m a goalie, so I have the utmost respect for him.”

“He’s a sweetheart and he’s a great guy,” says Bill Bergofin, NBC Sports’ senior VP of marketing and promotion, of Farrelly. “Very easy to work with, very collaborative and he brought a lot to it.”

Including some local talent. Boston comedian Lenny Clarke is the loudmouth yelling “whatdda ya mean you don’t remember Bobby Orr!?!” Farrelly and his team also came up with some great ad libs too.

“When the New York wife yells, ‘he took a dive!’, that was all Bobby,” laughs Bergofin.

Bergofin says the ads, which began running late last month, are intended to attract a broader viewership than simply the hardcore hockey fans in Boston and New York. Bringing in a well-known director with an affinity for sports helps to put the game at the intersection of sports and pop culture.

With the Showdown, the NHL and NBC are looking to continue their success of high-profile events, such as the the Winter Classic. The 2014 Classic, being played at Michigan Stadium on New Year’s Day, is expected to be the highest-attended NHL game in history with more than 107,000 people expected. Four of the Winter Classics have ranked in the top 5 most-watched regular season NHL games in the last 38 years, averaging 4.1 million viewers for the Peacock.

This year’s Classic will be followed by the Coors Light Stadium Series, featuring games at Dodgers Stadium, Yankee Stadium and Soldier Field.

Hockey fans like Farrelly believe the league is moving in the right direction and hope marketing strategies, such as the Showdown commercials, help introduce the brand to a larger audience.

But on to more important matters. How does Farrely think his beloved Bruins stack up this year, one season removed from a heartbreaking Stanley Cup loss?

“I’m pretty bullish on them again this year,” Farrelly says. “I think the Bruins are every bit as good as last year with a great young goalie like Tuukka Rask. They’ve got four solid working man lines, a couple of solid goal scorers and they bring it every night. I think they’ve got a chance of going back [to the Stanley Cup Finals].”

After wrapping “Dumb and Dumber To,” Farrelly is heading home for Thanksgiving and he knows exactly where he’ll be watching the game. “I’ll be at the Boston Garden. It’ll be my first game this season.”

Photo caption: Director and lifelong hockey fan Bobby Farrelly (center) on the set of the NHL on NBC’s “Thanksgiving Showdown”commercial shoot in Dorchester, Mass. with Bruins Hall of Famer Cam Neely and Rangers All-Star Mike Richter.

Image courtesy NHL / NBC Sports

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