"TICKETS FOR BOOZE".. sounds good to me!

The Phoenix Coyotes most recent attempt to save a struggling franchise consisted of a marketing campaign that sported the slogan "TICKETS FOR BOOZE".  In conjunction with Smirnoff Vodka, the promotion stated that if you were to buy a 1.75l bottle from any local retailer, you would get a free game ticket for the April 7th matchup against the St. Louis Blues.

The Coyotes are well on their way to missing the post season for a sixth consecutive season, and have been hit hard by the recent economic changes. After already receiving support from the National Hockey League and the City of Glendale, AZ to try and keep this franchise a float, this was just one more attempt that failed miserably after the NHL stepped in and shut the operation down.

All the pieces seemed to be in place for this organization to be successful. Wayne Gretzky behind the bench, a brand new, top notch facility, a team stacked full of young talent with the likes of Kyle Turris, Mikkel Boedker, Martin Hanzal, Keith Yandle, Peter Mueller and a few seasoned vets in Shane Doan, Steven Reinprecht and Ed Jovanovski.  But after a good start to the season the club has cooled off remarkably and once again found themselves in position for a lottery pick.

 

Hey, if that's what it's going to take save this franchise, then why not? Who wouldn't want to play in front of a packed house of drunk and rowdy fans? I would have to think that would be a great atmosphere to play in. After all, Commissioner Bettman is all for trying to make things work in the cities in which teams are already located, and has stated time and time again that he isn't a fan of relocation. But then again there has to be some sort of standard set when you just have to call it quits and count your losses. I for one am still waiting for the Commissioner to realize that this is just not a hockey market and that relocation would be the best bet here. This piss poor attempt even falls much lower than the Florida Panthers attempt to boost attendance by offering a free game ticket to anyone in the State of Florida who had a driver's license.

All I have to say it's probably a good thing Rick Tocchet is out of town or this could have been a real disaster.