It’s that time of year, folks! Playoff season is getting ready to kick into high gear, and the final bubble teams are trying to secure the last playoff spot. In the West, the St. Louis Blues and the Colorado Avalanche are going toe-to-toe for the 8th seed. The Avs sit one point ahead of the Blues, but they only have one remaining game as opposed to the Blues’ two. To make it just that much more dramatic, the final game of the season is against each other.
The East isn’t quite as intense, with the Florida Panthers clinging on for dear life while chasing the Flyers for the final spot. They need to win both of their games, and need the Flyers to lose to the New York Rangers in order to have a chance at the post season (although even then, tie breaking scenarios could still interfere).
A new element has been added to the East, however. An associate producer at Fox, who is also a Florida Panthers fan, is attempting a new technique at motivating Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist for his Saturday afternoon game. Money!
While Lundqvist is probably beyond the point of bribes at this point in his career, Craig and a growing group of Panthers fans have pledged to donate a ton of money to Lundqvist’s foundation if the Rangers are able to beat the Flyers in regulation. This would keep the Panthers playoff hopes alive, and it’s starting to gain quite a bit of traction.
To add onto the top of it, the Panthers colour commentator has said that he will double the donation, and a Panthers owner has offered to double that number up once more!
Not only will Lundqvist have this as an incentive, he also has a little bit of revenge on his mind.
The startup is for a good cause, as Lundqvist’s foundation “strives to create positive change in the lives of children and adults through education and health services”.
The campaign is similar to one where appreciative Buffalo Bills fans flooded Andy Dalton’s foundation (The Andy and Jordan Dalton Foundation) with donations following his heroic victory over the Baltimore Ravens, clearing the way for the Bills to make playoffs for the first time in 17 years.
The total spike? Over $350,000 according to ESPN.
The Panthers fans donating to Lundqvist’s Foundation is continuing to rise, we’ll see how far it gets before the Rangers and Flyers take the ice tomorrow.
