The legal battle between the NHL, Labatt and Molson "is over, but the marketing war is alive and well," according to Josh Rubin of the TORONTO STAR. With the Stanley Cup Playoffs underway, the NHL "took a public shot at a promotional campaign by Labatt, which offers fans 'Hockey Tickets for Life.'" In a statement on NHL.com, the league said, "We want our fans to know that the NHL has no affiliation with that promotion, and we can offer no assurances to our fans that the desired tickets will be available to the winner." MolsonCoors Canada Chief Public Affairs Officer Ferg Devins said that "even if Labatt wanted to buy tickets on the open market, it would be all but impossible." Labatt in response issued a written statement, "pointing out they didn't use the NHL or any of its team names in the campaign." Labatt VP/Corporate Affairs Charlie Angelakos: "Let me be clear. We’ll deliver on our Playoff Payoff Tickets for Life commitment to fans. Budweiser Playoff Payoff is definitely still on." Molson last year "won a lengthy legal battle to become the NHL's official beer sponsor" (TORONTO STAR, 4/27).
