Sen. John McCain and his former presidential running mate Alaska Governor Sarah Palin displays a Red Wings jersey given to her as a gift during a campaign event at the Freedom Hill Ampitheatre in Sterling Heights, Michigan in Sept. 2008. (Photo by Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images)

ANAHEIM, Calif. – In HBO’s recently released film adaptation of the 2008 presidential election, actress Julianne Moore, who plays former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, sports a Red Wings’ home jersey in one lengthy scene.

She also is seen wearing Colorado Avalanche and New York Rangers jerseys. But the better of the three sweaters, clearly, is the Wings’ jersey which also received the most air time in the made-for-cable movie.

Palin, who coined herself as “America’s Hockey Mom”, was given hockey jerseys as gifts wherever she appeared along the campaign trial as she traveled the U.S. in her bid for the White House as the Republican vice-presidential nominee.

Palin received a Wings jersey before she and GOP presidential nominee Sen. John McCain addressed a rally at Freedom Hill in Sterling Heights, Michigan on Sept. 5, 2008 (see photo).

But it’s in the movie “Game Change” that Moore – as Palin – wears a red Wings jersey during a debate rehearsal outside on Sen. MacCain’s Arizona estate.

However, the eye-popping moment occurs when the scene switches to a different camera angle which reveals a No. 40 on the back of the jersey.

Now since there’s no name on the back of the jersey (at least in the movie), and the six Wings players, including Henrik Zetterberg, to ever represent the number aren’t American, it’s easy to surmise that the Wings' latest star is the intended honoree, and not Bill Ranford, Mark Major, Jason York, Gord Kruppke or Rogie Vachon, who all wore the number prior to Zetterberg.

“Of course, it’s Z, he’s a rock star,” said goalie Jimmy Howard, one of four Americans on the current Wings’ roster.

It’s not known if the jersey that Palin received on the sun-shiny afternoon had a number on it, or why the movie’s costume directors made the decision to include the number. We may never know the answer, but it sure was fun to see the love for Zetterberg, whether it was intended or not.

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