Critics Berate NHL?s New Voting Rule for the All-Star Game as Fans Make a Mockery of the System by Starting an Online Campaign for Sean Avery

Carlsbad, CA (Vocus/PRWEB) December 23, 2010

BusinessInsider.com reports that the current player standings according to the votes cast by fans for the NHL All-Star game in Raleigh next year rank infamous Forward Sean Avery above many players who are statistically better than him. Commentators on ESPN.com and SportingNews.com have also come out against the voting trends that are now in play due to the NHL applying a new voting system to choose players for the All-Star game. This is all in lieu of an online campaign that was started by fans of Sean Avery at NYRangersBlog.com who marketed and advertised for Sean Avery using the power of social media. This led to a national ?Vote for Sean Avery? day which ended up in thousands of people voting for the underperforming player.

Sean Avery has only scored one goal and three points this season and has ended up ahead of better performing stars like Eric Staal, Nicklas Backstrom, Alex Semin, Jeff Carter, Marian Gaborik and Martin St. Louis. Avery is well known for his infamous antics on and off the field that have led to him and other players being suspended in the past. The online campaign to vote for Avery is not the first of its kind as many such online rallies have been started in the past with fans planning to vote for an unlikely player who wouldn?t make it to the All-Star game any other way.

The new system in place by the NHL allows for the fans to vote for the starting six players of the NHL All-Star game at the RBC Center in North Carolina. This includes 3 forwards, 2 defensemen and 1 goaltender. The players to get the highest votes in their category are then joined by 36 players picked by the NHL. These 42 players then go on to pick two captains who will pick their teams in a fantasy-style draft on January 28, 2011.

The game is to be played on January 30, 2011 and fans are understandably excited to be a part of this annual extravaganza. Speaking for the secondary ticket retailer TicketLuck.com, Anastasia Lyman commented, ?NHL tickets are always a big seller for us. The fact that fans get to pick who plays makes it a more exciting prospect for them.? On how the venue affects the sales, Lyman added, ?Raleigh is making sure the event is as sellable as possible. With their ?NHL All-Star Wide Open? week taking place and bands like Three Doors Down performing there, the NHL All-Star Tickets are practically selling themselves.?

While the fans? involvement might be good news for ticket retailers, many believe it is against the idea that only the best players get to play in an All-Stars game. The jury is still out as the voting continues; only time will tell if the end-result is a fair one for both the players and the fans of the National Hockey League.

About the NHL All-Stars Game

The NHL All-Stars Game is an annual exhibition match played between two teams usually consisting of the top players from both conferences of the National Hockey League. The game takes place mid-season and is hosted by a different city every year.

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Voting Begins for maurices ?Small Town Sound? Nationwide Band Search -- Fans Can Help Select the Top 50 Female-Fronted Bands

Duluth, MN (PRWEB) October 29, 2010

maurices, the leading small town specialty store and fashion authority, today announced that voting has opened for its nationwide ?Small Town Sound? band search in partnership with PlayNetwork and Sonicbids. The ?Small Town Sound? program was created as an extension of last year?s ?Small Town Charm? campaign, a cross-country photo shoot which garnered immense support from local communities. The goal of Small Town Sound is not only to discover the hottest up-and-coming band in the country, but to continue building strong connections within maurices communities.

From now through November 15, fans can visit http://www.maurices.com and click on ?Small Town Sound? to cast their votes. The site features band profiles and audio tracks, and the first round of voting by fans will narrow the field to the top 50 musical ensembles.

More than 525 eligible female-fronted bands have entered the contest in hopes of becoming the next hot musical act in the country. From these 50 bands, a group of panelists including The Bangles, Chrissie Hynde and indie rock group Sick of Sarah will narrow it to 10 finalists who will then have two weeks to create an original song based on the ?Small Town Sound? theme. On December 1, voting will reopen on the site and consumers will vote a final time on the best original song to determine the grand prizewinner and the two runners up.

?We?re blown away by the number of female-fronted band submissions received for ?Small Town Sound,?? said Lisa Bartlett, maurices Associate Vice President. ?We were looking for a way to connect with our small town communities and inspire women to take a chance on their dreams. The enthusiasm from artists has been fantastic and now the fans get to vote and support their hometown favorites.?

The grand prize-winning band will perform live at their local maurices and receive a trip to Los Angeles to shoot a music video and record their winning song at the PlayNetwork production studio. They?ll also receive gifts from maurices and Daisy Rock Guitars as well as the opportunity to perform at a major national music festival this spring in a showcase with The Bangles and Sick of Sarah. Visit maurices.com for more information.

All fans who vote will receive a maurices coupon and will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win one of 13 maurices shopping sprees valued between $ 100 and $ 1,000. Winners will be drawn and notified on January 5, 2011.

About maurices

Established in 1931, maurices is wholly owned by dressbarn inc. maurices is the leading small town specialty store and authority for the savvy, fashion-conscious girl with a twenty-something attitude. Today, maurices operates over 750 stores in 44 states. maurices stands for fashion, quality, value and customer service. Offering sizes 1-24, styles are inspired by the girl in everyone, in every size. For store information and to shop online visit maurices.com

About PlayNetwork

PlayNetwork, Inc. specializes in the creation and distribution of entertainment media that connects the voice of the brand to the consumer across all touch points ? in-store, online and on-device. Founded in 1996, PlayNetwork is the industry?s leading integrated media provider for branded music, messaging, video, entertainment promotions and event media, systems integration services, retail advertising networks, and commercial XM Satellite Radio subscriptions. The company creates high-impact media experiences that drive consumer behavior and affinity, in-store and beyond. Working with many of today?s hottest brands in retail, hospitality, health and fitness, banking, and other business environments, PlayNetwork leads the way in creating media experiences that influence and inspire, making your brand relevant and engaging for the consumer. More information is available at http://www.playnetwork.com or http://www.xm4biz.com.

About Sonicbids

Sonicbids is the website the helps bands get gigs and promoters book the right bands. Our community includes more than 275,000 bands and 21,000 promoters and licensors from all around the world. With festivals, clubs, colleges, music licensing and much more, Sonicbids offers a diverse range of gigs for every kind of musician. In fact, last year alone, more than 71,000 gigs were booked on the site. The company was founded in 2001 by Panos Panay and continues to focus on its core mission of empowering the artistic middle class. Get a gig or book a band at http://www.sonicbids.com.

Media Contacts

Jamie Hector

GolinHarris on behalf of maurices

jhector(at)golinharris(dot)com

212-373-6018

Victoria Yarnish

Bender/Helper Impact on behalf of PlayNetwork

victoria_yarnish(at)bhimpact(dot)com

310-694-3132

Nikki Festa

Sonicbids

press(at)sonicbids(dot)com

617-502-1349

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