http://www.fanhouse.com/2011/02/15/...t-overturned-it-must-be-a-movie/?ncid=webmail Man Has $50,000 Puck Shot Overturned? It Must Be a Movie This is real life: On Saturday night, the Indianapolis Ice of the United States Hockey League held its own impossible-shot promotion. Shoot the puck the length of the ice into the far net, which was blocked off entirely except for a three-inch slot at the bottom. Richard Marsh, a 73-year old retiree who still plays in an amateur hockey league, had the shot. It was for $50,000, and he said beforehand that if he made it, he would donate the whole thing to St. Vincent's Heart Center of Indiana, which fixed his heart in 2007. Marsh fired the puck, and you know what happened. He made it. The crowd went nuts. He celebrated. Fifty-thousand big ones for Marsh, Mr. Charitable, and, thus, the hospital. So what happened? The hockey league announced that the insurance company responsible for giving the $50,000 to Marsh had disallowed the shot. What insurance company? Well, not Allstate. Apparently, Allstate is one of the Ice's sponsors, and it is taking heat for this, as people assume it was the company that wrote the insurance covering the $50,000. In the PR disaster that this has become, the team had to actually announce that it wasn't Allstate. It hasn't said what company it was. Meanwhile, another announcement came that team owners had made a donation of an undisclosed amount to the hospital and to the American Heart Association. For the record, Marsh was fine with the money being donated to St. Vincent Heart Center of Indiana, which fixed his poor heart in 2007. Marsh was also happy over the attention the league was receiving. "I think they got their money's worth," Marsh told the Indianapolis Star. "I think it was very positive publicity." Still, the entire length of the ice, and this insurance company finds a way out of paying. Team officials said that Marsh had been told at least three times that he had to stay behind the line. But Marsh told the Indianapolis Star that it was so loud on the ice he couldn't hear anything. Leave it to an insurance company to find a way out of paying, to find the loophole. [video=youtube;t_i_-cJ18qQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_i_-cJ18qQ&feature=player_embedded[/video]
This is ridiculous - they lined him up there. It isn't like he skated forward and then took the shot (like stepping across the line in bowling). The puck was sitting on the ice in front of the line, he walked up and shot it from there. And the mascot was across the line when he threw the puck, so even their demostration was wrong.
rules are rules. just because hes old doesnt mean he gets to break them and get away with it. anyone can make that shot from that close. behind the line its a whole different story.
Seriously, this unnamed insurance company missed a great opportunity for some positive marketing. The guy was going to donate all the money anyway. All you have to do is privately get an assurance and then go forward with it. Kudos to team ownership for making the donation (and saving their sponsor).