In times when ticket prices for professional sporting events seem like they keep increasing, a couple of NHL teams have come up with some great ideas to gets fans to the games.

For instance, the New York Islanders are offering the Victory Plan. Fans buy tickets for a particular game, and if the Islanders win, those fans can return to watch another selected game for free. This may not be a new idea, but it might work.

The St. Louis Blues are offering something even better in my opinion. They came up with the “Name Your Price” promotion. There’s minimum bids for different tickets. Fans can type in dollar amounts for different seating areas. The Blues can then accept or reject an offer. This too is a good idea, but will it be successful?

Let’s hope these promotions work. Again, I realize these ideas may not be new and some teams in other sports may have already used these types of promotions to attract fans to games. Giving fans opportunities to either see free games or attend games at a reduced price definitely helps in the long run. What do you think? Will these marketing tactics work?

-Jerome

NEW YORK — Calgary’s Jarome Iginla, Pittsburgh’s Evgeni Malkin and Washington’s left wing Alex Ovechkin have been nominated for the Hart Trophy, the NHL’s most valuable player award.

The league announced the finalists, chosen by a vote of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association at the end of the regular season on Tuesday. The winner will be announced June 12 during the 2008 NHL awards show in Toronto.

I do not see how this award would not go to Ovechkin, even though he is out of the playoffs. He is the league’s points and goal-scoring leader with 112 points on 65 goals and 47 assists, led the Capitals in a late rush to the Southeast Division title and a place in the Stanley Cup playoffs. He set the single-season NHL record for goals by a left wing and scored the most goals in a season since Mario Lemieux in 1995-96.

Was there a better hockey player during the regular season?

Josh

For the avid puck enthuiast (he or she) is well aware that the battle for Lord Stanley’s Cup, maybe the most cherished trophy of them all, is once again upon us.
The Stanley Cup over the years has been in more places than that traveling gnome smurf looking dude.
Yes, Hockey’s nearly three-month playoff battle began this week.
Finally some real hockey, no more of that shoot-out stuff, we are talking 20 minute overtime periods, no one leaves until somebody scores, sudden death and all that.
Montreal is back in the playoffs since Guy LeFleur, ok not quite but close, donned the most famous sweater in hockey.
The “Kid” alias Sydney Crosby leads Pittsburgh, a team that the league almost had to buy a year ago.
The league’s scoring leader, Alexander Ovechkin has his Washington Capitols ready to make some noise.
Will the Ducks still be mighty come the end of May?
Does anybody in all of hockey have a better mullett than ESPN’s
Barry Melrose?

Where do you think the Stanley Cup will end up this year? And who will do what with it?
With the weather still dumping snow on us it’s easy to get fired up isn’t it!
Maybe I can trade my new softball bat in for some goalie pads!
Let the “RUSH” begin.
Only 190 days until “our” team hits the ice!

Lenn

It’s not if, it’s when and who.

What do you think about R.C. getting another professional sports team? How will they fare? Is Rapid City ready for a hockey team? Is anyone interested in hockey?

For complete details on the Central Hockey League, go to Thursday’s Journal story at http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles/2007/04/12/news/top/news02.txt. The USHL is scheduled to visit on April 24, as one of those leagues (the CHL or the USHL) will probably get a team in Rapid City. Which one do you want?

 

–Sean Welsh

New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur broke the single-season record for wins Thursday, picking up his 48th victory in a 3-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. The win also cliniched the Atlantic Division title for Jersey (49-24-8).

Brodeur, in his 14th NHL season, has 494 career wins, which is second on the all-time list. This season, he is No. 1 in wins (48) and shutouts (12), third in GAA (2.19) and fourth in save pct. (.921).

 

 

–Sean Welsh