Friday Is Contest Day

With it being Friday and the end of the week and everything, I thought it might be a good idea to get some contests out there that you can enter. They all come with the prize of free schwag, and who doesn't appreciate free schwag? The only thing that I ask is that you don't end up like the couple to the left who were the first nudists to win a lottery in Great Britain. Yikes. If I find out any of you win these contests and opt for a nude photo with the winnings, I'll end this blog right then and there. However, the contests do offer some great schwag, though, and you really only have to put out a little effort to be in the running for the prizes. Friday is always better when you win something, so let's get to the contests.


"Rogers Sportsnet is giving fans of the Calgary Flames a chance to prove why they are the 'Connected Flames Fan'.

"The Connected Fan contest is asking Flames fans to upload a 90-second video that demonstrates how passionate, knowledgeable and committed to their home team. The maximum length of any submission is 90 seconds.

"Fans will vote for the finalists, who will be interviewed by a Sportsnet panel to determine the winner.

"Flames fans can go to www.sportsnet.ca/connected_fan and upload their video for a chance to win the following prizing:

• 4 tickets to a Flames home game
• Team-autographed Flames jersey
• Tour of the Sportsnet Flames broadcast booth and HD Truck
• Sportsnet prize pack

Last season, Tim Haney of Calgary was the Connected Fan for the Flames in 2007."

However, Sportsnet realizes that not all hockey fans are Calgary Flames fans, so you also have the opportunity to enter their other contest. You can enter as the "Connected [insert team here] Fan" for the Maple Leafs, the Oilers, or the Senators as well. The prizes for each team are the same, except you get team merchandise in the team that you're connected to.

"The Mario Lemieux Foundation has partnered with NHL Auctions to present Bid for 66, an exclusive online auction event, November 10-20, 2008, on NHL.com at Mario Lemieux Foundation NHL Auction. Proceeds benefit the cancer and other medical research initiatives of the Mario Lemieux Foundation.

"The following is a sample of items that are available during the online auction:

• Game-used memorabilia from Pittsburgh Penguins stars Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal, Miroslav Satan, Max Talbot and many more - each item is autographed!
• Mario Lemieux autographed items including prints, jerseys, MLCI items and a special game-used stick.
• Autographed memorabilia from the NHL, NFL, MLB, NASCAR and more.
• Apparel and collectables from the Mario Lemieux Celebrity Invitational.

"Thank you for your support of the Mario Lemieux Foundation!"

So there are your contests and auctions and opportunities to get some schwag from Hockey Blog In Canada and these great organizations. I want to say thanks to James La Chapelle from Sportsnet for the heads-up on their great contests. Good luck to all who enter!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!