The Winter Classic is just two and a half weeks away and the NHL is finding a new and inventive way to promote the game. They’re sending the game’s biggest stars Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby along with Jeremy Roenick to The Price Is Right to give away a trip to the 2011 Winter Classic and assorted other NHL and sponsor goodies.
No, this is not a joke. This is very real and very awesome.
The release from the NHL says this:
Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin and former NHLer Jeremy Roenick are guests on the Monday, Dec. 20 edition of THE PRICE IS RIGHT (11:00 AM-12:00 Noon, ET; 10:00-11:00 AM, PT) on the CBS Television Network. The trio will introduce an NHL-themed showcase that includes a trip to Pittsburgh for the highly anticipated 2011 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic®, played outdoors at Heinz Field on New Year’s Day.
Host Drew Carey, Roenick, Crosby and Ovechkin will unveil the showcase that features tickets to watch the Penguins play against the Capitals in the historic outdoor game; VIP passes to the NHL’s New Year’s Eve Bash; field/ice-level access during the Capitals and Penguins team practices at Heinz Field on Friday, Dec. 31; and a brand new 2011 Honda CR-Z Sport Hybrid car.
Roenick also will introduce an NHL® prize that includes a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the 2011 Stanley Cup® Final and NHL-licensed products. Other NHL-related prizes include items from NHL partners Bridgestone, Reebok, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, LG and Starwood Hotels.
Growing up being a kid who spent every sick day from school locked on to the TV at 11 am to watch The Price Is Right, this is pretty damn awesome to see them joining up on the show to do this. Of course, it’d be way more fun if we could see Crosby, Ovechkin, and Roenick get outbid by a dollar by a wily member of the studio audience just to see how they’d react to such shenanigans. Would Sid yell to Drew Carey about it? Would Alex look to drop the gloves with the contestant? How about Roenick getting teary-eyed about not making it on stage to play a round of Plinko? The possibilities are endless.
This isn’t the first time the NHL and The Price Is Right have teamed up. Back in 2008, members of the Los Angeles Kings appeared on the legendary game show to give away a hockey-themed showcase in the showcase showdown. We’re suspecting that Crosby, Ovechkin, and Roenick will have just a little bit more pull in the popularity department than Derek Armstrong, Denis Gauthier, Kyle Calder, and Dustin Brown did two years ago.
As for the games we’d love to see these guys play, here’s a short list:
- Alex Ovechkin playing That’s Too Much. Hearing him yell the catchphrase to win a prize would be well worth it.
- Sidney Crosby playing Clock Game. Sid on the spot trying to guess the price of a grandfather clock? Game on, brother.
- Jeremy Roenick playing The Grocery Game. Come on, when’s the last time JR went to the grocery store? The guesses would be worth it.
- Sid and Alex taking turns on the punch board for $10,000. Come on boys, let’s see those lefts and rights put to good use.
Still… A perfect mix of game shows, nostalgia, and hockey makes for a great morning of awesomeness on Monday. Time for that DVR to get a workout.
