For Immediate Release:
For
Immediate Release:
Contacts:
Bob Ibach (847-590-5302 or cell (847-922-6686)
Make-A-Wish
Foundation® of Greater Pennsylvania and Southern West Virginia:
Ann Hohn, VP of Communications: 412-471-9474
Pittsburgh Hockey Fans Can
Celebrate Father’s Day With Special Pucks
Penguins
Win 3rd
Stanley Cup In Stunning Fashion
On
the Road Against Red Wings in Game 7
2 Puck Set
Also Salutes Sidney Crosby
Only 2,009 Sets Will Be
Produced To Honor Champs
Make-A-Wish
Foundation® of Greater Pennsylvania & Southern West Virginia
Benefit
Pittsburgh
– One would almost
never know this was a franchise on the verge of leaving the city only
a few years ago. Now, with a new arena deal in place for the 2010-11
season, and with back-to-back appearances in the Stanley Cup finals,
the Pittsburgh Penguins all of a sudden are being looked at as one of
the NHL’s model franchises.
After
winning the final two games of the Stanley Cup Finals against the
vaunted Detroit Red Wings, including an emotional 2-1 Game 7 victory
in Detroit that defied the oddsmakers, the shift of power in the NHL
may have moved east to Pittsburgh from Detroit, which often proclaims
itself as Hockeytown USA.
The
Penguins come-from-behind win in the Stanley Cup Finals on June 12 in
Detroit is also going to put a lot of smiles on the faces of local
hockey fans—and those include some youngsters at the
Make-A-Wish
Foundation of Greater Pennsylvania and Southern West Virginia.
That’s because Nikco
Sports announced it would continue Phase
II of its special
project that includes a limited edition, 2-puck set, to honor the
Penguins third Stanley Cup title. The project, which began at the
start of the Finals, will continue to raise needed monies for local
youngsters who have life-threatening medical conditions.
In
the past several years, Nikco Sports has raised more than $1.7
million for children’s charities, and some of that total came
as recently as this past February during a Super Bowl project that
honored the champion Pittsburgh Steelers.
The
two hockey pucks, including one that honors team captain Sidney
Crosby,
come with individual acrylic display cases. They are priced at $39.95
and will be limited
to 2,009 sets.
These
sets make great Father’s Day gift ideas for June 21, or for
upcoming school graduations, birthdays and other celebrations. Fans
can order by calling 1-800-345-2868
or
visiting www.nikcosports.com.
To
accommodate as many fans as possible, there will be a limit of 5
orders per customer call. Fans can download a special gift flyer for
use on Father’s Day coming up this Sunday.
The
Penguins team puck will salute their third Stanley Cup championship,
and will include the official Stanley Cup logo and NHL logo. It will
also recap each of the 7 games against Detroit and list the final
scores. To date, the Penguins have won four conference titles and
seven division crowns. The second puck honors Crosby, and will
include a photo image of #87, the Penguins official logo and the NHL
logo.
Crosby
finished third in league scoring during the 2008-09 season with 99
points, as teammate Evgeni Malkin won the Art Ross Trophy with 106
points, the same title Crosby captured during his sophomore season in
the league. That year he became the youngest player and ONLY teenager
to ever win a scoring title in any major North American sports league
en route to winning the Hart Memorial Trophy as league MVP.
Crosby’s
87 uniform number is no accident, either. His 2007 contract signing
was for $8.7 million, which is also a reflection of his birthdate:
8/7/87.
The
numbers all add up, just like this season when the Penguins notched
99 points in finishing second in the Atlantic Division, coming off a
season where they earned 102 points en route to a 4-2 series loss to
the Detroit Red Wings in the Stanley Cup finals. This season the
Penguins reached the Cup finals by beating Philadelphia during the
first round of the playoffs in 6 games, then coming back to edge
Washington in an exciting 7 game series, before dominating Carolina
in the Eastern Conference finals.
The
seven-game series and ultimate victory over Detroit, which was
gunning for its 12th
Cup, stunned much of the hockey
world as the Penguins overcame a horrible 5-0 shutout in Detroit
during Game 5, then came back to post consecutive low-scoring wins in
Games 6 and 7.
“What
an incredible finish to the season. Games 6 and 7 were just magical
to watch—that is what Stanley Cup hockey is all about,”
said Nikco Sports CEO Craig Bidner. “With their backs to the
wall, and playing a great Detroit team on their home ice, most of
America gave the Penguins little chance of pulling off the upset. But
that just goes to show you what hard work and heart can accomplish.
It’s that same kind of heart which is shown by the youngsters
at the Make-A-Wish
Foundation of Greater Pennsylvania and Southern West Virginia,
and why I am so proud and pleased to be able to put together a
project that will benefit them.”
During the
past several years, Nikco Sports has raised more than $1.7 million
for charitable
organizations across the nation with the issue of limited-edition
sports memorabilia that has honored amateur and professional teams,
as well as select athletes such athletes as Dan
Marino, Brett Favre, Jerome Bettis, Ben Roethlisberger, along
with Peyton Manning,
Jim Kelly, Carson Palmer, Steve Young, John Elway, David Robinson,
John Stockton, Magic Johnson, Roger Clemens, Ryne Sandberg, Paul
Molitor, Kirby Puckett, Edgar Martinez, Ichiro, Ozzie Smith, Mark
McGwire, Ken Griffey Jr.,
Nolan Ryan, Tony Gwynn, Craig Biggio and
Cal Ripken Jr.
About
the Make-A-Wish Foundation
The
Make-A-Wish Foundation®
grants the wishes of children with life-threatening
medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength
and joy. Born in 1980 when a group of caring individuals helped a
young boy fulfill his dream of becoming a police officer, the
Foundation is now the largest wish-granting charity in the world,
with 65 chapters in the U.S. and its territories. With the help of
generous donors and nearly 25,000 volunteers, the Make-A-Wish
Foundation grants more than 12,600 wishes a year and has granted
more than 168,000 wishes in the U.S. since inception.
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