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Wed May 06, 2009 10:59 am EDT

Penguins fans win, then lose, free playoff tickets via text message

By Greg Wyshynski

While it's not exactly a sweepstakes company going to the wrong house with a giant check, 460 Pittsburgh Penguins fans went from winning playoff tickets to having them yanked away in the span of two text messages this week.

According to KDKA in Pittsburgh, the fans had entered a pregame contest in order to win tickets to a Penguins' home game -- which are hard to come by in the playoffs. They all received a text message of congratulations on winning the tickets ... only to receive this message (image) an hour later:

"Due 2prgrmng error, the results of 2days student rush txt alrt were invalid &unfortunately u didn't win the contest. We apologize 4inconvenience. STOP."

No "LOL"? Just "STOP"? What was this, sent from a telegraph? From KDKA comes word that this was a bit of human error:

"I think in laymen's terms, 'Somebody pushes the wrong button,'" explained Pens spokesman Tom McMillan.

He says the team is apologizing to all 460 fans who got the text message in error. An automated phone call went out to all of those fans apologizing. On Wednesday, someone from the Penguins will personally call.

The Penguins have cultivated one of the most passionate and dedicated fan bases in the NHL -- the team plans on having a tailgate party, a massive fan rally and then an outdoor viewing of tonight's Game 3 against the Washington Capitals at Mellon Arena. In keeping with that attention to their customers, every fan who received the erroneous text message is going to get a $25 gift card, Penguins gear and two tickets to a regular-season game next season.

Best of all, none of them will have to bear witness in the arena to the potential demise of their team's season, as the Penguins are down 2-0 and desperately trying to figure out how to turn their series around.

Related: Stanley Cup Playoffs, Hockey Fans

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148 Comments

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  1. burghhead
    1. Posted by burghhead Wed May 06, 2009 11:14 am EDT

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    Pens fans are just killing time until the Stillers play, they aren't even in the top half of passionate fan bases in the NHL. Watch how quiet the crowd will be tonight...
  2. Certified Assassin
    2. Posted by Certified Assassin Wed May 06, 2009 11:20 am EDT

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    Actually, the "STOP" should have read "STOP 2 Quit". Meaning text the word stop to quit the messaging service. I know, I am a member...My guess is that they ran out of room to compelte the full text. Nonetheless, sucks for those fans.
  3. Paul S
    3. Posted by Paul S Wed May 06, 2009 11:25 am EDT

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    Go caps go!
  4. david p
    4. Posted by david p Wed May 06, 2009 11:26 am EDT

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    you know what? all these text things are bull [profane]. i did it for the caps a couple of times and all i got in response were text/spams about the washington wizards. the wizards!? who cares about the wizards?
  5. miah
    5. Posted by miah Wed May 06, 2009 11:27 am EDT

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    I don't know about "desperately trying to figure out how to turn their series around"...both games have been one goal losses where the Pens were the better team. It is unfortunate that they have not been able to pull out at least one win. I chalk it up to Home Ice advantage...and to win the series they will have to eek out a win in Washington.
  6. Scott E
    6. Posted by Scott E Wed May 06, 2009 11:28 am EDT

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    That's OK - all of their fans are about to have their entire series yanked out from under them. GO CAPS!!
  7. HotStacey
    7. Posted by HotStacey Wed May 06, 2009 11:35 am EDT

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    wings are getting outcoached and outplayed. i fear it may be over. has no one in their organization figured out how to play against the trap yet? it's not like they haven't run into in before.
  8. Hans Gruber
    8. Posted by Hans Gruber Wed May 06, 2009 11:40 am EDT

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    Anyone who thinks the NHL won't do whatever possible to extend this thing to seven games is a moron
  9. Clayton
    9. Posted by Clayton Wed May 06, 2009 11:40 am EDT

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    #2 is a typical yinzer.
  10. JGB
    10. Posted by JGB Wed May 06, 2009 11:47 am EDT

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    The Pens suck anyway, so who cares? Almost became the Kansas City Pens.
    {Gretzky} Sidney Crosby.
  11. masterhaiku
    11. Posted by masterhaiku Wed May 06, 2009 11:47 am EDT

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    Penguins go bye bye
    Looking on the bright side though
    how 'bout those Pirates!
  12. Shaun T
    12. Posted by Shaun T Wed May 06, 2009 11:48 am EDT

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    Go stop
    caps stop
    go stop
  13. Munkcy
    13. Posted by Munkcy Wed May 06, 2009 11:52 am EDT

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    @ Hossa -- "has no one in their organization figured out how to play against the trap yet? it's not like they haven't run into in before. "
    .
    Welcome to my world the last 14 or so years watching the Flyers play against the Devils.
  14. Munkcy
    14. Posted by Munkcy Wed May 06, 2009 11:54 am EDT

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    You know the Penguins marketing is hip and in touch with today's youth because they used text-speak to replace "to" with "2" and "you" with "u." Radical.
  15. HotStacey
    15. Posted by HotStacey Wed May 06, 2009 11:55 am EDT

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    what?
  16. Jon A
    16. Posted by Jon A Wed May 06, 2009 11:55 am EDT

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    Come on Wysh. "Dedicated fan base" my ass. The team was about to flee Shytsburgh before Sidney the Messiah came in to save their ass. Attribute their fair-whether fan base to him, not to "dedicated" fans.
  17. Geoffrey S
    17. Posted by Geoffrey S Wed May 06, 2009 11:55 am EDT

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    Anyone who thinks the NHL is fixing games to get long series is a paranoid schizophrenic and should look into medical treatment instead of posting on message boards.
  18. zambonirider
    18. Posted by zambonirider Wed May 06, 2009 11:57 am EDT

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    That's funny, I just went to Ticketmaster and I had my choice of tickets for tonight's game! I guess "hard to come by" means something different in Pennsylvania?
  19. Jon A
    19. Posted by Jon A Wed May 06, 2009 11:58 am EDT

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    Hope this lucky man's free tickets are for the 2nd round or he is in for the disappointment of his life.
  20. NostraChronus
    20. Posted by NostraChronus Wed May 06, 2009 12:04 pm EDT

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    Penguins fans should be thankful; they weren't even going to have a team until Bettman fixed the draft for Super Mario to obtain Crosby, and then strong-armed a new arena out of the city. Penguins will be bankrupt before the term of Crosby's contract ends.
  21. FREE_CANDY44
    21. Posted by FREE_CANDY44 Wed May 06, 2009 12:07 pm EDT

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    my roommate and i are on that list an he called me screaming about how he won tickets. midway through the conversation i got the same message saying i won as well.. total dream killer. BUT FREE TICKETS IS AN AWESOME WAY TO MAKE UP FOR IT
  22. steve
    22. Posted by steve Wed May 06, 2009 12:08 pm EDT

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    I'm sure most of those posting negative things about the Pittsburgh fanbase are Caps fans, the same Caps fans who's organization has to do EVERYTHING in their power to prevent Pens fans from getting Verizon Center tickets (Seriously, it's ridiculous....I remember years ago in the pre-internet crazy days when they used to block calls from the 412 area code). And as for the Ticketmaster thing, it happens the day of every playoff game, they release the tickets from the pool set aside for sponsors/opposing allotment that are unused. Get the facts before you make stupid statements.
  23. Pensfan
    23. Posted by Pensfan Wed May 06, 2009 12:15 pm EDT

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    People need to learn the whole story before they think it was the lack of fan interest that almost led to the team leaving.
    The state wouldn't fund a new arena, which, if you've ever been to the Igloo recently, you know a new arena is desperately needed. Gov. Rendell (who just so happens to be a Flyers fan) blocked nearly every attempt to get funding for the arena. Thankfully, at the 11th hour, Mario, Ravenstahl and Onorato struck a deal.
    The day they announced that the team was staying in Pittsburhg, the Pens clinched a playoff spot. SO before you think that Pens fans are all bandwagoners, learn the whole story.
    I will, however, say that most of the people at playoff games are rich bandwagon Yinzers...the REAL fans are the ones who can't afford the tickets but still sit outside at the big screen in the rain because they want to watch the game with other real fans, no matter the weather.
    As for the texting screw up, my friends all got the message and they were flipping out thinking they won, only to have their hopes crushed two minutes later. They deserve tickets for next year for being crushed like that by a "human error."
  24. NostraChronus
    24. Posted by NostraChronus Wed May 06, 2009 12:18 pm EDT

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    steve07...dude, Caps suck, and if you can't admit that the NHL has shown favoritism to the Penguins since Adam Graves slashed Mario Lemieux, and well before, then, well, you're yet another ignorant Penguins fan. Listen to you crying about not being able to get tickets at the Verizon Center...cheer up, you might still have a chance to win the series in game seven, but sorry, the Hurricanes balance sheet looks worse than yours, so they're probably going to advance to the Cup.
  25. Da Peddla
    25. Posted by Da Peddla Wed May 06, 2009 12:18 pm EDT

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    Go wings

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