If you hear a knock at your front door and see Sidney Crosby standing outside, don't be alarmed. He's not trying to sell you cookies or award you with a publishers clearing house check. Instead, it's just another day on the job. Today he's delivering your season tickets.
As a team notorious for their contributions to the city of Pittsburgh and love and devotion for their fans, it shouldn't come as any surprise that the members of the team themselves are going door to door to 24 season ticket holders to deliver the goods.
In a recent campaign to win back fans, the St. Louis Blues have done promotional commercials along the same lines, toting the slogan - "Whatever it takes." We get to see players standing on front lawns holding bouquets of flowers, practically begging for the fans to come back. The Blues, quite possibly one of the most mis-managed teams in hockey right now, are another story all together. So for the sake of this blog devoted to the Penguins, I will end it there.
The distinct difference however between the Blues and The Penguins is the sheer fact the players on the Pens aren't acting for a commercial. They are literally walking up to your front door and handing you your tickets. Mind you, the Penguins finished second in the division last year and fifth in the conference. I think on that premise alone it goes without saying - they don't have to do anything.
But they do, and that is what makes the Penguins more than just a team people pay to watch. It makes them part of the city, not above it. You can watch them on the ice from your seat or on the tv from your couch and still think "They're human."
It's just another example of NHL marketing that sets the sport aside from all of the others, driven by passion and perserverance over personal incentive and media hype.
