The Five Most Popular Fan Contests in Hockey

Posted by Kelly Grindle on May 24, 2021 9:00:00 AM

Hockey fans are some of the most passionate and loyal fans in the sports industry. For decades, fans have flocked to rinks all over the country for not only the thrill of an action-packed game, but also for the excitement of fan promotions and events. The sport of hockey is famous for offering alluring prizes and engaging in a host of fun, unique contests that bring fans into the action.

 

1. Full/Half Rink Shot

Probably the most famous fan contest in the sport of hockey is the elusive full rink shot, where one or more chosen fans get the chance to try to score a goal from the opposing blue line. 

You can choose to use the full standard goal or make things a bit more challenging by providing a narrower target for fans to aim for. 

Full court shot contests usually occur in between periods and are a great way to get the entire audience engaged and excited. After all, hockey fans love to cheer, and what better to cheer for than one of their fellow fans shooting for the chance to win cash and prizes?

2. Skate Race

If you're looking for a contest that can engage several fans rather than just one or a few, a skate race is one of the most-utilized group contests in hockey. Several fans can throw their talent into the rink and show off their speed skating skills while the crowd cheers them on as they skate (or attempt to) around the rink. 

Blue line to blue line is the most popular distance for skate races but teams can alter the race to whatever parameters they choose. Contests can include prizes for the winner, the first three finishers, or even a sliding scale of cash and prizes for each participant. 

Different variations and additions to skating contests can make them more intriguing and exciting and can provide great publicity and advertisement for the hosting team or a chosen sponsor.

3. Golden Goal

As an alternative to a live-action and interactive contest for fans, hockey teams are constantly hosting contests and giveaways that are made to keep fans involved and engaged throughout the game. 

Golden Goal is a popular promotion where if the selected "golden" player on the home team scores a goal during a designated time period, a random lucky fan can win a substantial grand prize. 

Contests embedded in the game give teams a great way to exhilarate fans and keep the energy of the crowd explosive at all times.

4. Fan Shootout

A fan favorite at hockey events is shootout contests. Like other shooting-based contests, one or multiple fans can participate in a shootout to compete against one another or be challenged to make a certain number of consecutive shots on their own. 

Just this year, the Vegas Golden Knights celebrated a man who walked away with $30,000 after making five consecutive shots to win their shootout contest. 

Large grand prizes like those not only get the crowd overwhelmed with excitement, they can also be a huge asset to draw bigger crowds to games.

5. Target Shots

Though similar to other shooting events, target shot contests add an added challenge to standard shoot-outs and shot contests. Hosting teams can get creative with providing a target for fans to aim for. Most of the time, target shot contests give several fans a chance to shoot for the selected target. 

The Importance of Grand Prize Coverage for Your Event

Fan promotions and contests are a great way for hockey organizations to draw bigger crowds, keep their fans excited, and also give back to their supporters in big ways. However, the expense of offering these contests can be substantial for teams no matter if they're professional, collegiate, or amateur. 

Prize coverage allows sports enterprises to not only host major promotions and events at a scaled and predictable cost while relieving the organization of all risk, it also provides opportunities for organizations to collect valuable fan data to help build stronger relationships and make future promotions even more successful. 

Hosting contests and promotions is a great way to gain brand exposure, drive up crowd numbers, and provide fans an overall stronger experience.

How Grand Prize Coverage is Calculated

What kind of prize coverage a team or organization needs is calculated based on factors like the size of their fan base, the size of the prizes they are looking to offer, what kind of contest or promotion they want to host, and what the odds of participants being successful are. 

At Grand Prize promotions, we specialize in helping our sports clients develop innovative and exciting promotions and contests that are affordable and effective. Reach out today to take the first step in hosting a knockout promotion for your organization.

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Topics: Promotions