Some Random Notes

I guess I never got around to mentioning the new CHL Loyalty Rewards Program, so here's a little info from the CHL press release about it:

“The program is truly innovative for a professional sports league,” said Kevin V. Huhn, CHL Business Development. “Consumers and companies have felt the crunch of the economic shift over the past little while. Our new program was designed with the intention of helping ease this pain and giving everyone the opportunity to continue experiencing the enjoyment the CHL teams bring them.”

Huhn added, “Membership in U.S. loyalty rewards programs ranges in the billions with more than 75% of consumers having at least one loyalty card and we felt that rewarding our fans and sponsors for their loyalty to the CHL was a logical thing to do.”

Besides the online catalog of items available for redemption by consumers, CHL Loyalty Rewards also serves as a full tracking referral program for fans, businesses and CHL teams. Anyone who refers a potential client can follow the process online and then get rewarded for their referral from participating merchants.

Sounds like a pretty neat program for those who would be going to games anyway; I guess time will tell if it entices any casual fans into attending more games.

Additionally, the league has announced a new CHL-TV, which will be available only to paid subscribers.

We'll see how that works out...

In more Bucks-centric news, Darryl Smith will start his stint at the Atlanta Thrashers's prospect camp on Sunday, and Bryan Benway will have a radio interview with last season's Rookie of the Year up tomorrow.

In what could have been Bucks-related news, Marty Standish has signed with the Tulsa Oilers. That's right, the guy who wouldn't come to Laredo because he didn't want to play for a CHL team other than the Oklahoma City Blazers is now on the team that was once their in-state rival. Not sure if the Blazers' suspension of operations had anything to do with this decision, but that's odd.

Obviously, there have been a ton of other deals going on, including Justin Kinnunen being re-signed by the Texas Brahmas, but rather than list a bunch, I'll refer you to the transaction list.

This is so belated it may not be worth mentioning, but Coach Ruskowski was featured on the radio program "Puska on Pucks" twice in August. If you haven't heard those interviews yet, you can check them (and conversations with various other hockey personalities) out here or at these direct links for Part 1 and Part 2.

And finally, out of the Rio Grande Valley, there is some non-hockey news about the Killer Bees. I'd never really thought about what happens to those apartments when the players are back in Canada, but I guess some people will be thinking more of it now... especially commentors on themonitor.com.