Vincenzo Guzzo, the executive vice-president of Quebec movie theatre chain Guzzo Cinemas, landed in hot water on Tuesday after a promotion targeting "hockey widows" was called sexist.

The top photo of the ad shows a woman bored and ignored by her hockey-watching boyfriend.

"Left alone to regret wasted evenings while he watches the game?" explains the Guzzo Cinemas website.

The bottom photo shows the same woman with a group of other women, smiling and eating popcorn at a movie theatre.

Guzzo Cinemas published the ad to encourage women to take advantage of a women-only $8 promotion on nights when the Montreal Canadiens are playing.

A handful of offended Twitter users called the ad sexist, saying it presumed women weren't hockey fans. Others said it assumed all men were hockey fans.

Guzzo told CBC Daybreak host Mike Finnerty on Tuesday morning that he thought the backlash was simply political correctness gone too far.

He said he was threatened with a lawsuit by a law student last year, when the ad first debuted.

"I said, 'Go right ahead. And I'm assuming you'll take Jean Coutu as well for offering a discount to seniors, and only seniors. And I'm assuming you'll take every other bartender or bar establishment that does a ladies' night?'" Guzzo said.