Kylie Wright and her daughter went to a Coquitlam Express hockey game Sunday and ended up at the biggest event to hit Vancouver since the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Wright and eight-year-old Saoirse were the winners of a pair of tickets to Sunday’s final concert of Taylor Swift’s monster Eras tour at BC Place.
Their names were randomly drawn from the 1,450 ticket holders to the game between the Express and the Powell River Kings Sunday afternoon at the Poirier Sport and Leisure Complex.
As well, fans could earn extra opportunities to win by donating $20 to KidSport Tri-Cities or by winning the Chuck-a-Puck contest that’s held between the second and third periods.
Shortly after the Wrights won, Kylie’s husband picked them up from the arena to get them into Vancouver in time for the concert.
Wright said the whole experience was a thrill, especially as it was the first-ever live concert for Saoirse.
“You made an eight-year-old’s dream come true and she will never forget last night,” she commented on the hockey team’s Facebook page on Monday.
Express general manager Tali Campbell said the promotion that was sponsored by Sussex Insurance was equally exciting for the team.
He said more than 87.5 per cent of the ticket holders to Sunday’s game were new customers and the buzz of fans dressed up, crafting signs and singing to the Taylor Swift music that played during breaks in the play carried all the way to Edmonton where he was with the U14 Coquitlam Hockey Club team for a tournament.
“It was the talk of the arena from teams all across BC and Alberta about the unique promotion we were running,” Campbell said, adding the event also brought in $2,160 for KidSport Tri-Cities.
“As a one-time campaign, this was probably our most successful.”
Swift’s show on Sunday was the last of three sold-out concerts at BC Place and capped the artist’s record-breaking tour that comprised 149 sold-out events spanning five continents over two years.
The Express also ended up winners, 2-1, over the Kings.
It was the team’s second straight win after a 4-3 overtime victory over the Chilliwack Chiefs on Saturday.
The wins elevated Coquitlam to fourth place in the BC Hockey League’s Coastal Conference standings with 31 points. That’s the same as the third-place Victoria Grizzlies, who’ve played two fewer games.
The Express play a home-and-home series against the Surrey Eagles this weekend — at the South Surrey Arena on Friday, Dec. 13, then at Poirier the next night at 7 p.m. The game is the team's annual Teddy Bear Toss night where fans are invited to bring a new teddy bear, toque, blanket or mittens to toss onto the ice after the home team scores its first goal. All the items are donated to BlanketBC.
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