Become a one game player for the Montreal Canadiens

Exclusive - The Montreal Canadiens hockey Club is preparing a "Play tonight with your favorite hockey team, the Montreal Canadians". This contest will allow one winner to wear the uniform of the Montreal Canadiens and to play a real match on the ice with his favorite team.

The idea was initiated by the executives of the National Hockey League. The NHL wants to increase the popularity of hockey in the USA and to get some free publicity. The attendance at some American hockey games is not up to the expected level and the NHL has still no major television contract in the USA. This new marketing strategy is based on the popularity of reality shows that are extremely popular in the USA nowadays. The NHL hopes to recreate the same infatuation found on these reality shows with the "Become a player tonight".

Several questions still remain unanswered. For example, will the winner play with the 1st or 4th trio? During a power play, can he play as goaltender? Are women eligible to participate? Also, the number of minutes that the player will play in the game remains to be clarified.

The Montreal Canadiens team agreed to be the first one to participate in this project. They hope that other teams will follow their steps in order not to create a disadvantage for the Montreal Canadiens when the winner is on the ice.