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The Toronto Maple Leafs are one of the most lucrative and highest revenue generating clubs in the NHL. One need only to try and get a ticket to a Leafs game to appreciate how hard and how expensive it is to see a game at the Air Canada Centre.

As bad as the Leafs are year after year, fans in Toronto never fail to pack the place.

In a surprising move, the Leafs have announced an extra game on their exhibition schedule (for September 22nd), for which all of the tickets are FREE!

NO WAI!!! This is almost like Texaco giving away a free fill of gas!

"The Leafs have the most loyal and passionate fans in the NHL," general manager Cliff Fletcher said in a statement. "Securing the additional preseason Leafs game and giving away tickets to the [exhibition] game is our way of thanking them for their on-going support."

Fans attending the announcement at Air Canada Centre received a pair of complimentary tickets to the game. The remaining tickets will be distributed free to fans through a series of promotions and contests.

Sure, it's only an exhibition game, but many fans in Toronto can not afford the expense to see the Leafs play live. If the Leafs want to keep their fans happy during some lean seasons, something like this will give them a lot of street cred.

Then again, as one commenter under the story noted, "A nice gesture? making a fan watch this team one additional time is cruel and unusual punishment. "

While St. Louis Blues fans can get free food for attending home games, it appears that they won't be able to get free beer, despite a promotion that hyped such a thing.

We all know the way to most men's hearts is through their stomach. Free beer? How could that not work? You could get men to do many embarrassing things for free beer, or at least mundane household chores.

Thinking along those lines, the St. Louis Blues planned a section of discounted tickets for Tuesday night games where by the buyer would get free watered-down room-temperature stadium beer.

Unfortunately, the PC Police must have seized upon this, because now the promotion was canceled before it even began. Phooey!

Shortly before lunchtime Thursday, the St. Louis Blues sent an e-mail to fans announcing "Tuesdays on Tap," a promotion offering unlimited free beverages, including beer, for certain tickets to five upcoming home games.

At 4 p.m., Blues executive Peter McLoughlin told the Post-Dispatch, "This one is not happening."

Asked why, he said that it was a "business decision."

A business decision? Bah! More like those screeching harpies over at MADD heard about the Rob Ramage sentence and got their panties in a knot. "Oh, noes!!! How can a team give away alcoholic beverages? The world will slip into chaos!!"

On a more serious note, how could any major league sports team think that giving out free UNLIMITED beer would be a good thing? A (single) beer? Fine. A whole bunch of them? That's just asking for trouble, lawsuits, and potential DUI-related accidents. Let's face it, most people can't handle their alcohol, and many aren't smart enough NOT to drive after downing a few brewskis.

There is a popular saying that a way to a man's heart is through his stomach. In my case, that's pretty much spot on.

The St. Louis Blues hope that the same holds true for hockey fans, as the team plans to give away free food and beverages at a January 19th tilt against the Nashville (for now) Predators.

"As we continue to rebuild this franchise it remains important for us to embrace our wonderful fans," said Blues chairman Dave Checketts. "Given the response and success from last year's game, it was clear that not only should we do it again this year, it should become a St. Louis Blues tradition each and every season."

Fans will be able to have hot dogs, chicken fingers, chips, popcorn, peanuts, soft drinks and water from the moment the gates open an hour before the game until the end of the second intermission.

Translation: We have a crappy team, and we're so desperate to put asses in seats that we'll do ANYTHING to get people in the arena.

Now, there appears to be nothing to indicate just HOW much food each person can get, but one has to figure that this is a good value for the fans. Factor in the typical cost of a stadium 'meal', and how much the average St. Louis resident tends to eat in one night, and this promotion could end up a $300 value to the average ticket buyer.

In a promotion that a few more markets could stand to do, the Blues are giving out free food to anyone who has a season's ticket in the Club section. Not only can you get close enough to see the stubble on Doug Weight's face, but you can toss your empty drink cups at Kerry Fraser after quaffing a free alcoholic beverage.
Just be sure to keep Keith Tkachuk away from the bratwurst!