What is Shinny Idol, you ask? And will I get sued for making up a contest name based on a trademarked name? Great questions! The first question I will answer here; the second – I’ll keep you posted!
I’ve had a couple of conversations about shinny hockey since I posted my shinny blog post last month, and I realized that for Canadians, shinny hockey is one of those great shared experiences. Don’t you love reading and sharing stories about these great shared experiences? I sure do, which is why I’m launching Shiny Hockey Idol!
Shinny Hockey Idol (or SHI as I hope the cool kids will start to call it) is exactly like those other Idol contests, except for the singing; the guy who says “dog” a lot; the former singer who loves everyone; and Simon Says. Or put another way, it’s nothing like those other Idol contests.
To enter SHI, simply submit a fond memory of shinny hockey using the comment field below (if the comment field is not visible, then click here to make it visible), and do it before January 30th, 2010. That’s it. It could be a childhood memory or it could be from last weekend. If you’re a child, that may be one and the same memory – that’s okay too. Although there’s probably a law that I should make this contest for adults only, so if you’re a kid – ask your mom or dad if it’s okay to enter.
No real content rules either – it can be long; it can be short; it can be boring; it can be funny; it can be dramatic; it can be documentarian (yes I know that’s not a word, but this is my blog – I’m using it). Whatever. Just post up a good story about shinny! Please note that I will either delete or edit anything that I deem offensive, although I’m pretty open minded, so it’s unlikely I’ll find much offensive. Especially when people are talking about shinny!
On January 30th, which most of you probably don’t know is hockey day in Ottawa, I will select my two favourite entries as the co-winners.
Each co-winner will receive an Official* Certificate identifying them as “2010 Shinny Hockey Idol Co-Winner”, as well as a choice between a $25 amazon.com gift certificate, or the tax receipt from a $50 donation to the Canadian Red Cross to go toward the Haitian relief effort (for entries from outside of Canada, if you chose the donation option, I will try to coordinate logistics for a donation to the US Red Cross so you can get the charitable donation receipt, but I cannot guarantee you would get the tax receipt – but the Red Cross would get the money). I’ll announce the winning story on the site on the evening of the 30th, and will notify the winners by email (assuming the email address they provide to post a comment is valid). I will not use your email address for evil by assuming you want to be added to my newsletter distribution. But if you do want to be added, you can sign up for my awesome newsletter here. It’s free and it’s full of great information about training and nutrition.
What are you waiting for? Start recollecting!
* Certificate may or may not be official.
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January 19th, 2010 at 5:04 pm
Our kids had a great Shinny memory made this past weekend (Jan 15-18) at their tournament in Detroit. Our kids are Mites, so they are 7 and 8 year olds. They were all playing shinny in the hallway of the Hyatt in Dearborn after having just returned to the hotel from the Hawks vs. Redwings game at Joe Louis Arena. They were really into their shinny game, having to send someone from the 4th floor to the 2nd floor many times to retrieve the ball that fell below. As they were playing, their coach came up and informed them that Brett Lebda, #22 for the Redwings, was downstairs in our hotel lobby. All the kids grabbed their shinnys and sharpies and headed down the elevators. Brett signed all of their shinny sticks, pucks, hats, shirts, etc. They were thrilled, and he was very gracious. We parents appreciated his kindness to these kids who idolize the NHL players. It was a great shinny moment for sure! It must have been good luck too, because the next day they won the championship. Thanks, Brett!