Note: at the bottom of this post, you’ll be able to submit your pledge. We will post the form in several places, but you may always return to this page to pledge. We will make it a permanent link on the Blogroll to the right. –>

WHAT
Unless you’re new around these parts, you’re familiar with the Pledge Games we’ve proudly hosted leading up to both H2H and H2H2. In two years’ worth of fundraising, your pledges have accounted for $12,536.06 of the nearly $20,000 that the group has been fortunate to donate to Children’s Hospital of Michigan.

Once again, you’ll have the opportunity to pledge your donation dollars. In years past, we’ve gotten some magnificent pledges and we look forward to hearing yours this year. Whether it’s $20 for a Red Wings win, $10 for a Pavel Datsyuk goal, $35 for a Jimmy Howard shutout, or anything in between, we’re anxious to add your promise to our spreadsheet and collect a few bucks here and a few bucks there until the total is something we can all be proud of.

If at all possible, we respectfully request that your pledges are based on something quantifiable — and preferably quantifiable by the post-game statistics. Shots, goals, plus/minus, penalties… all of that is fair game. But when we get into the more bizarre pledges (how many times Larry Murphy mentions hot dogs, second-period shots if the team is losing, etc), it becomes insanely difficult to keep track of everything. We’re going to enlist all of the help we can get in counting phenomena, but it would really help us out a great deal if your pledges were based on something easily countable.

Also, let’s try to keep the pledges to things for which there will be no disputes. For example, we may count 4 “Datsyukian Dekes,” but you only saw 3. No one has ever claimed we were trying to gauge them for more money (and I can’t imagine anyone would, since it’s going to a good cause), but the very last thing we want is for someone to feel as if their generosity has been taken advantage of. Some folks can give a dollar, some can give much, much more. But we’re grateful for every last dime and have no interest in stretching you thin.

WHEN
Leading up to H2H, we hosted 11 pledge games. Prior to H2H2, we hosted 12. This year, we’re increasing the number a little bit in hopes that we can double the amount we’ve been able to forward to the charity that’s eventually selected (to be announced in the very near future). For any (or all) of the following games leading up to the Holidays and the Winter Classic, you may place your pledge.

• 11/17 at Minnesota (featuring Ryan Suter, who thinks he’s too good for you)
• 11/19 vs. Pittsburgh (and a team full of people nobody likes)
• 11/21 vs. St. Louis (a division rival that’s accomplished exactly nothing but acts cocky anyway)
• 11/23 at Florida (lol Tomas Kopecky)
• 11/24 at Tampa Bay (how ya doin’, Stevie Y)
• 11/27 vs. Phoenix (several post-season match-ups make for good hate)
• 11/29 vs. Los Angeles (defending Stanley Cup Champions)
• 12/1 vs. San Jose (featuring Brad Stuart… how many pledges will be about his being booed?)
• 12/4 vs. Colorado (it may not be 1996, but I still hate them)
• 12/7 vs. Washington (Semin-stained)
• 12/10 vs. Boston (they keep stealing Griffins captains)
• 12/13 vs. Phoenix (see above)
• 12/15 at Nashville (featuring Shea Weber and The Head Slams)
• 12/18 vs. Los Angeles (defending Champs… again)

DETAILS
We will NOT be handling donations this year. Once the pledge games are completed, you will receive an e-mail with detailed instructions on how to get your donations into the right hands. From that account, we will be delivering a (hopefully huge) check during the Winter Festival, so you’ll have to pay promptly.

You may use the following form (we’ll be pimping it all over the place) to submit your pledge.

This photo, sent to us by our very good friend @Will_Posthumus late last night, gives us proof that the Detroit Lions’ own Calvin Johnson — himself an upcoming EA sports cover boy — fully supports the movement to get Pavel Datsyuk on the cover of EA Sports’ NHL ’13.

There are eight athletes left, and you can vote for our beautiful boy — Pavy Dangles — by clicking right here. He’s facing stiff competition from here on out — the Isles are pumping John Tavares something fierce, but if Datsyuk can edge him out, he’ll face the winner of Henrik Lundqvist and Pekka Rinne. Claude Giroux and Evgeni Malkin are finalists in the other half of the bracket.

PR Coordinator Rick Bowness has a story at DRW with some additional details and facts, which features some pretty kick-ass cover art mocked up by our very good friend @Will_Posthumus. It took me a few viewings to notice that the traditional EA font “13” was replaced by Datsyuk’s sleeve. TRICKY LITTLE DEVIL YOU ARE, WILL.

The top seed has won in each of the prior four match-ups on the bracket. Claude Giroux beat out PK Subban, Scott Hartnell took out Tyler Seguin, Evgeni Malkin defeated Steven Stamkos, and Anze Kopitar beat David Perron…just like he’s about to do in the playoffs.

Upcoming matchups include Henrik Lunqvist/Erik Karlsson, Pekka Rinne/Patrick Sharp (no word yet if they’ll be using a photograph of him spearing someone in the testicles), and Jordan Eberle/John Tavares. Those sixteen players made it out of a preliminary round featuring choices from each team. Just like real life: no one cares about the Blue Jackets.

Click on over to EA’s site, give Pavel a vote or ten, and anxiously await the results when our very own Dangles could grace the cover of your next purchase.

To the Fans:

“I want to thank everyone who sent a get well card or left a message on this website with such encouraging comments. I appreciate everyone keeping me in your thoughts during this tough year for me. Between the cool poster and all the kind words, I was blown away by the best fans in hockey. The cards and comments brought up my spirits and I just want to thank all of you for your support. I look forward to coming back next season.”

Patrick Eaves

Next, we’ve been alerted by the printer that the first batch of Todd Bertuzzi Ping Pong Sheriff shirts have been shipped. If you placed your order of the last few days, you should be receiving them early next week. Like always, we encourage you to snap a photo of yourself in them and post them to our Facebook page for the whole world to see. Bonus points if you’re wearing it while chasing someone away from a ping pong table.

And finally, speaking of our Facebook page, it’s time to announce the winner of the 2011-12 TPL Nickname Submission contest. From forty (spectacular) semi-finalists, culled from hundreds of (brilliant) submissions… we found ourselves with the eight finalists voted by you, our beautiful readership. It is with great pleasure that we announce Zac MacRostie (@Flapjack_McZap) the winner of a t-shirt of his choosing for his Grumpy Old Men selection Jiri “I’ve Laid More Pipe in This Town Than Wabasha Plumbing” Hudler. Congratulations to all eight of our finalists — really fantastic submissions this time around and we look forward to doing it again next year.

]]> https://tpl.detroit.hockey/2012/04/18/new-t-shirts/ Wed, 18 Apr 2012 21:57:07 +0000 https://tplarchive.detroithockey.net/?p=6591 Come and get ’em! Celebrate our ping pong sheriff Todd Bertuzzi’s refusal to let the opponent touch his paddles (giggity). Two designs… they may not be available permanently… it all depends on interest, but take your pick:

THE FIRST! A simple, classic shirt to commemorate the best story to come from this year’s playoffs.

THE SECOND! Click here to order the Seinfeld-inspired version.

Below are the eight finalists for The Production Line’s 2011-12 Nickname Submission Contest. The top vote-getter of the following will receive a t-shirt of their choosing from TPL’s Store. Like all of the semi-final rounds, voting will commence on our Facebook Page, so head over there and give a +1 to the nickname you think is deserving of being called this year’s champion. Voting will be active until Friday afternoon, so don’t delay!

AHOY, TO THE FINALISTS

Jiri “I’ve Laid More Pipe in This Town than Wabasha Plumbing” Hudler
— @Flapjack_McZap; October 15th vs. Minnesota; Grumpy Old Men

Tomas “Professor Booty” Holmstrom
— @sigsegfalt; November 11th vs. Edmonton; Beastie Boys

Nicklas “This is Red 5, I’m Going In” Lidstrom
— Chris; November 15th vs. St. Louis; Return of the Jedi

Valtteri “Ultrasuede is a Miracle. This is Just Good Timing” Filppula
— @saraneuie; December 13th vs. Pittsburgh; Homer’s Phobia

Mickey “And the Microphone Smells Like a Beer” Redmond
— @Breuker19; December 6 vs. St. Louis; Billy Joel

Valtteri “Got a Last Name, Too. But I Can’t Pronounce It” Filppula
— justin13; February 10th vs. Anaheim; The Fast and the Furious

Jonathan “Through Some Kind of Glitch in the Payroll Department, He Still Gets a Paycheck” Ericsson
— @sigsegfalt; January 12th vs. Phoenix; Office Space

Nicklas “Your Clones Are Very Impressive. You Must Be Very Proud” Lidstrom
— @mrsotw; January 8th vs. Chicago; Star Wars Episode II

Today, Predators players were using the ping pong tables in the hallway outside of the locker rooms. Todd Bertuzzi saw this and then…

— Will Posthumus (@Will_Posthumus) April 17, 2012

…told them if they wanted to play they needed their own table, then folded up the table, and rolled it into the Wings locker room. #boom — Will Posthumus (@Will_Posthumus) April 17, 2012

***UPDATED*** Despite confirmation from Ansar Khan of MLive and Dave Strader of NBC via NHL.com, Craig Custance of ESPN says it didn’t quite go down like that:

Red Wings say no truth to Bertuzzi taking ping pong paddles away from Predators. Security told Nashville table was off limits. — Craig Custance (@CraigCustance) April 17, 2012

Could be a bit of an organizational PR back-peddle, but WAY TO RAIN ON THE PARADE, CUSTANCE! Fact-checkin’ and whatnot…

Just a reminder… the top two vote-getters in each of the four sections move onto the “finals” for one more vote. We already have four finalists, and we’ll have another four by early next week. Good luck to the contributors!

http://memegenerator.net/Stubborn-Babcock

You can also view the ones that have been created via that link. We’re enjoying the hell out of the early submissions, so keep ’em coming.