Curiously it was at a game between the Edmonton Oilers and the Florida Panthers that I hosted the Million Dollar Slapshot (sponsored by Coca-Cola) between periods on March 18, 1994. Remember, this was at a time when many fans didn’t even know how to hold a hockey stick, much less hit a puck. And that was the challenge. Take a shot from the far blue line at a tiny hole (barely bigger than a puck) at the bottom of a wooden board placed in front of the net and you’d win a million dollars. Miss and go to center ice and try again for a garage full of Coke (or something like that). Miss there and go to the close blue line (they take away the board in front of the goal) and you just have to ease it into goal for a t-shirt and six pack (or something like that - frankly, I don’t remember the lesser prizes). I hosted many of these contests in the Panthers’ inaugural season and no one ever came close. But March 18, 1994 was different. Randy Guinto of Hollywood, FL had been selected from a drawing to join me on the ice and take his shot at $1,000,000.
I remember the night vividly because Randy’s shot actually went straight. Like razor straight! And as it went closer and closer I realized we were gonna be on Sports Center! Randy had iced a 120-foot slapshot.
But wait a minute: I’m hosting the thing!
Stanley C Panther is jumping up and down! The Miami Arena is going ballistic! “Randy! You won a million dollars!!!!” I shouted. We’re dancing on the ice! It’s glorious.
Until it wasn’t.
I see a Panthers’ PR guy waving his arms in a “no, he didn’t win” sorta way. We slowly cross from the far blue line and see as we approach, a puck just millimeters from the hole in the wooden board that covers the goal. Did it hit the board and come back? Did it go in the hole at an angle and come back? Panthers said no goal.
The crowd wasn’t having it and booed (plus a variety of profanities not suitable for publication on this fine blog, but you get the idea).
Not gonna lie; it’s hard to come back from having just said, “You won a million dollars!” #awkward
Anyway, Randy was super cool, even came on my morning show the next day and seemed like a really good sport. We did wind up on Sports Center after all (thanks to me being the idiot DJ who screamed “You won a million dollars!” - when he really didn’t).
And then a day later, Randy got a lawyer and sued. He sued the Florida Panthers, Coca-Cola, and Blockbuster Entertainment after the team ruled his laser-straight shot hadn’t made it into the net.
Eventually four years later a six-person jury ruled differently. And Randy won his million dollars. So - see - I was right after all! “Randy, you won a million dollars!!!”