Labatt Blue Beer Loyalist Wins Ice Time With NHL Greats Pat Lafontaine and Curtis Joseph

Labatt Blue 'Real Hockey' promotion brings love of hockey and beer together

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Nov 02, 2010, 11:30 ET

BUFFALO, N.Y., Nov. 2, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Labatt Blue beer recently announced the grand prize winner of its Real Hockey promotion. John Blough of Somerset, PA, a loyal Labatt Blue drinker, won a prize most would only dream about – ice time for his recreational hockey team with National Hockey League greats, Pat Lafontaine and Curtis Joseph. After taking the ice at Johnstown, PA's Planet Ice, Blough and his teammates enjoyed cold Labatt Blue beers with the hockey legends.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101102/NY93249 )

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20101102/NY93249 )

Blough and his teammates, who admit they're not the best with their sticks and really play just for the love of the game, said this was a once in a lifetime opportunity. "We're just a bunch of guys who grew up together playing hockey," said John Blough, Labatt Blue Real Hockey grand prize winner. "To take the ice and drink some cold Blues with NHL legends like Lafontaine and Cujo... this was definitely the best prize I've ever won, and an experience I don't think any of us will forget."

Blough and his team of die-hard Pittsburgh Penguins fans also scored Labatt Blue Real Hockey bags, custom Labatt Blue jerseys, hockey sticks and an autographed commemorative photo of their ice time.

"Playing hockey and drinking Labatt Blue is a tried and true tradition that brings the love of hockey and beer together," said Brett Carlsen, associate brand manager for Labatt Blue. "It's so fitting that John won the Real Hockey grand prize. For him, nothing beats shooting the puck around with the guys and drinking some Labatt Blues – and that's what Labatt Blue Real Hockey is all about."

Labatt Blue consumers took part in the online contest by entering unique pin codes from specially-marked cases of Labatt Blue. Runner-up prizes included autographed hockey sticks and jerseys signed by Lafontaine and Joseph.

Lafontaine is best-known by Labatt Blue drinkers for his time as a Buffalo Sabre, from 1991 until 1997. The Buffalo Sabres retired his jersey number in 2006. A heralded goalie, Joseph played for a number of NHL franchises before retiring as a Toronto Maple Leaf earlier this year. Nicknamed Cujo, he also was a member of the Canadian gold medal winning hockey team during the 2002 Winter Olympics.

About Labatt USA

Headquartered in Buffalo, NY, Labatt USA imports Labatt Blue and Labatt Blue Light daily from Canada. Labatt Blue is America's top-selling Canadian beer. First brewed in 1951, Labatt Blue offers a clean, refreshing taste, light color, slight hop aroma, good balance, fruity character and a slightly sweet taste. Labatt Blue Light, a light lager, won a Gold Medal in the 2004 World Beer Cup. Labatt Blue Light is the No. 2 Canadian import behind Labatt Blue.

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SOURCE Labatt USA