Contest Time!

It's every kid's dream to score that game-winning goal in Game Seven of the Stanley Cup Playoffs to hoist the Silver Chalice and skate a lap around the rink. You can't tell me that you didn't spend at least one or two minutes dreaming of what it would be like to carry the Stanley Cup around the rink while thousands of fans cheered in jubilation. Last year, one man got to experience what it's like to take the Stanley Cup home for a day in CBC's Bring Home the Stanley Cup contest sponsored by Pepsi and Frito-Lay. The man standing in the goalie equipment is Adam Bourque of Summerside, Prince Edward Island, and he was lucky winner of the CBC/Pepsi/Frito-Lay contest last year. Bourque got a ton of schwag for winning the contest, including a 52" LCD TV, two Hockey Night In Canada leather recliners, and a cooler for Pepsi and Gatorade products. He also got to spend a day with the Stanley Cup and Mark Messier, and Messier played in the street hockey game in Bourque's neighbourhood.

Well, Pepsi, Frito-Lay and TSN bring you this year's contest, entitled Team Up and Bring Home The Cup. Instead of an individual winning the Stanley Cup schwag, an amateur hockey team is eligible to bring home the Stanley Cup to their home rink! You and your teammates will be able to skate with the Stanley Cup just like the pros do in your home rink in front of your fans!

Now, there are a pile of rules, so I'll link the page here. However, here are the nuts-and-bolts of that document:

• Canadian residents only. Despite me thinking this would be a great contest for American hockey teams, it appears that TSN's participation makes this a Canadian contest only. Sorry, international hockey fans. I can't change the rules on this one.
• You have to be of age of majority or older. Kids, if you're reading this, get your coach or manager to enter your team for you. There is no rule on age of the participants, only the person registering the team.
  
• The team being entered has to be an amateur team. Amateur teams are defined as the following for the contest - "any organized or unorganized hockey team competing in either the house league level, competitive level or any local community street team".
• Maximum number of team members cannot be more than twenty (20) teammates.
• All these people - directors, officers, members and employees, family members and those persons with whom they are domiciled or are living under the same roof, of the Contest Sponsors, as well as the National Hockey League and its Member Teams, NHL Enterprises, L.P., NHL Enterprises Canada, L.P., NHL Enterprises BV and NHL Interactive CyberEnterprises, L.L.C. (such NHL entities, collectively, the “NHL Entities”), The Pepsi Bottling Group (Canada), Co. and any of their respective affiliated, associated and related companies, agents, advertising, promotional and judging organizations and agencies and/or representatives - are not allowed to participate. See? Your odds are already improving.

Ok, so you're interested in having your hockey team skate with the Stanley Cup. How do you get noticed? Where do you send your entry?

• First off, let me say that there is no purchase necessary to participate in the contest. Save your dough for more important stuff.
• You have to register. You can do that here. Remember, kids, get a coach, manager, or parent to fill out the registration if you're under 18 years of age!
• You need to send in an "electronic standard video file format (maximum two (2) minutes in length, 150MB maximum file size), in English or French, explaining why your hockey team should Bring Home the Cup™ and meet Mark Messier. Any entry submitted over the maximum length will still be accepted, but may not be viewed in its entirety by the Judging Panel (as hereinafter defined) in its sole discretion, which may affect the chances of your entry being selected as the Grand Prize winning entry". Break out those video cameras, and give them your best "I wanna hoist the Cup" story!
  
  AND/OR
  You need to send in an "electronic photo (as standard image file format, 150MB maximum file size) of your hockey team AND an essay of two hundred (200) words or less, in English or French, explaining why your hockey team should Team Up and Bring Home the Cup™ and meet Mark Messier". And no professional photographs, please. This is a contest for amateur teams, so let's see some amateur photogs putting up their best work as well, please.
  
  AND/OR
  You need to send in an "essay of two hundred (200) words or less, in English or French, explaining why your hockey team should Team Up and Bring Home the Cup™ and meet Mark Messier". This option might be the easiest, but videos and pictures help your team get noticed, so don't underestimate that section.

So you've submitted your video/photograph/essay and now you're waiting to see if someone has noticed you. Here's what the judges are looking for, and how they will rate your efforts:

• 40% Team Spirit, 30% Creativity, and 30% Passion for the Game.
• The top twenty (20) entries will be selected by the Contest Sponsors based on the Judging Criteria from all the entries submitted. From there, the top ten (10) will be selected as finalists by the Contest Sponsors and the NHL Entities, and will be posted on the Team Up webpage for viewing and voting.
• The public will be invited to log on and cast votes for the Grand Prize winner, based on the Judging Criteria. The public Voting Period will be from March 22, 2009 at 12:00:01 PM (ET) to April 18, 2009 at 11:59:59 PM (ET). You get the most votes, and you'll be bringing home the Stanley Cup!

Ok, so there's a pile of other stuff you should probably read on that rules page I linked above, and I encourage you to do that. There's also a list of the schwag available, and it's pretty darn impressive. That 52" TV would go well in anyone's rec room for watching hockey.

Now you're probably asking yourself "Teebz, what's with the corporate sellout?", and that's a good question. I've decided that since this is a contest that benefits my readers, I'd team up with Pepsi/Frito-Lay in order to promote the contest. Also, it also removes my eligibility from winning since I am partnering with them, so your odds increase as well. But, since I'm all about giving away schwag when I can, I'd like to see one of you guys Bring Home The Cup!

I'll be opening up a spot on the right where there will be a permanent link to the contest. You can click on that link and register if you like. Please, only enter once. Multiple entries at the same email address will only result in you being disqualified. Please register here in English or ici en français.

Last, but certainly far from least, good luck to all entrants!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!