St. Louis Blues promotion motivates fans and players alike

by Dirk Hoag on Oct 5, 2009 2:04 PM EDT

NHL marketing executives have a tough job these days, trying to come up with promotions that get tickets sold and bring fans into the building, without giving up too much of a discount and offending season ticket holders who've already paid out big bucks to their team.

In St. Louis, however, the Blues' staff hasn't just come up with a plan that puts fannies in the seats, but it apparently gets the players on the ice motivated as well...

Much like the Nashville Predators reward fans with a Frosty when the Preds score 5 at home, in St. Louis this season, when the Blues score 5, fans will be given a free Big Mac. The on-ice results are obvious...

How else would one explain the 2 goals and 2 assists that Keith Tkachuk racked up in two games against the Red Wings over in Stockholm? Or the fact that the team put up 4 and 5 goals in those games?

via the late*, great Jes Golbez' Hockey Rants, from the Blues' 2005 training camp.

*It's the blog that's no longer with us, not the blogger!

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that is so good

couldn’t happen to a fatter guy.

by HartnellsMop on Oct 5, 2009 3:53 PM EDT reply actions

Just for reference

The Blues have had a bit of a tradition with some sort of promotion centering around the Blues scoring 5 goals.

Might want to check the precise date, but sometime around ‘01 or ’02, the original promotion was 35 cent tacos at Taco Bells across the metropolitan area the day after the Blues scored 5. This applied to anyone and no ticket was required, since this could be had on road games, as well. After the lockout, the promotion didn’t return. I can only imagine Taco Bell can tolerate only so many “sick calls” and drive thru lines that stretch on for miles.

Shortly after Checketts arrived on the scene, he became aware of the fans chanting “We Want Tacos” whenever the Blues had scored 4 and were trying for 5, even though everyone knew that promo was long gone. The next incarnation came in the form of fans redeeming their home game ticket stub the day after the Blues scored 5 for ONE free taco at a small stand near the arena between the hours of 12-2 or something of that sort. Most of those redeemable tickets went either unused or were given to homeless and beggars upon leaving since it was incovenient for most to go back the day after during lunch.

Last year, any fans in attendance when the Blues scored 5 picked up a voucher for a free small blizzard the day after.

Now we’ve arrived in Big Mac Land, apparently.

And that Tkachuk joke is SO 2005.

No beer and no TV make Homer...something something.

by Poor College Student on Oct 6, 2009 12:25 AM EDT reply actions

A return to Big Mac Land, actually...

I think it was the late ’90s/2000-ish when the Blues promo was Big Macs (before they went to tacos).

I remember arguing with a girl in the drive-thru over whether the promotion applied that day. (“Yes, they did score five goals last night. I was there. I have the ticket stub in my car. If you have a newspaper, I’ll wait here while you read it.”)

Lighthouse Hockey: Side effects may include Weight gain and frequent game loss.

by Dominik on Oct 6, 2009 12:00 PM EDT up reply actions