2008 NHL All Star Game Auction
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The two fans with the highest bids in the online auction to be public relations assistants at the 2008 NHL All Star Game weekend in Atlanta held January 25-27 are Mati Sauks of Ottawa, ON and Jeff Fitzgerald of Halifax, NS.
These two fans will help the NHL's public relations department and assist the game's best players as they fulfill media availability. The two fans will also spend some quality private time with the Stanley Cup®. Half of the proceeds from the auction will be given to the charity Hockey Fights Cancer. The other half of the proceeds will go to the NHLFA.
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The NHLFA was established in 1998 to give average hockey fans across North America an affordable (that is, free!) way to express their views on the NHL. We all recognize that hockey today is first, big business and second, sport. It's the fans who keep this business afloat. But of all the interest groups involved in hockey, fans are generally at the bottom of the pecking order, while paying top dollar at the ticket office, the concession booth and the souvenir store.
The National Hockey League and owners have Gary Bettman as their representative; the players have Paul Kelly, Executive Director of the NHLPA; the fans have very little representation. The NHLFA aims to change that and to give fans a voice in the future of the NHL.
The NHLFA is governed by a four person board of directors in Ottawa. Our primary means of elevating the collective voice of hockey fans is through our yearly Fan Report poll, which is made available only to Members. The poll (and other mini-polls) give Members the opportunity to comment on a wide variety of issues related to NHL hockey, players, rules and operations. Those results are then provided to the Members and to the media, the NHL and the NHLPA.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman acknowledges our Association and we both agree that if the NHLFA purports to represent NHL fans we should continue to increase our membership numbers. We cannot afford traditional advertising to reach prospective Members, so we must rely on word-of-mouth promotion to reach hockey fans. Our Members have worked very hard at spreading the word and getting their friends and relatives to join with us.
After more than ten years in operation, the NHLFA still does not charge for membership. We continue to pursue corporate sponsors to defray costs, to keep membership free and to allow us to expand our Association. Please consider joining our team (click the Registration link on the left navigation menu) and please help spread the word about the NHLFA to your friends and family.
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