I think you should try climbing to the top of the 400 level in heels and that you should report back to us. With video.

As both a young lady and an avid caps fan...I don't really know what to say. Part of why I love hockey is that it's not for the faint of heart. I'd prefer a night with my chucks. And beer. And good call on the wings.

ROFL. "Like, the event will crumble under its own weight if you don't do this!"

Ah, what a straight line. Shall I step up the plate? Happy to play along.

Ahem.

This even will crumble under its own weight with or without the wardrobe contest.

::dusting off hands:: :D

Ah, man, my heart *sank* when I began to read and realized you weren't going to post comments. I'm so glad you changed your mind. This is funny without the comments, but funnier with.

I'm totally with you: female ice hockey fans may not be the "let's shop" sort! But first and moremost, the issue is this:

"1) Men also enjoy hors d'oeuvres."

You got that right, And that is, after all, point number one. Free food, no men allowed to eat it: this could start a hockey fight!

Well, while the Caps are being hilariously, unwittingly, inartfully sexist -- pick your adverb -- let me join the fray and add: I never did "get" and never will "get" hockey, and I don't think women can. I come from up in New England where they play it, and I ice skate, and I like sports. If you can't get me to like hockey, I'm afraid it's a hopeless cause. But if you do find a bunch of women 'round here that like hockey, I *promise* you they are not wearing noticeable heels.

You can't MAKE THIS STUFF UP!

Are you going to be able to get in? Do you want me to go undercover? Like totally, I think I'd volunteer to do that! Wear heels and all. You could 'mike me up! :D

Nancy,

Why limit it the people who don't get into a hockey to women? Looking at Hockey's ratings and attendance figures, most men can't get into it either.

can i make a request for blockquotes so it's easier to differentiate quoted material from the proprietary ramblings of the Bog? or at least a different font or color?

Good point, Chris. My cousins in Vermont are like total hockey and soccer guys. Seven brothers. (One of my cousins went pro on soccer.) Even *they* say why play ice hockey when you could play soccer?

Agent Stein! Agent Stein! I googled the issue and found this *actual message board* location with people discussing wardrobe choices (OK, footwear) of hockey players at some length!

http://boards.washingtoncaps.com/forums/lofiversion/index.php/t48007.html

LOL. You can't make this stuff up! Verrry serious discussion.

Jamie -- Or at least if they can't let us use block quotes the basic HTML format markups like italics and bold.

I'm not saying, by the way, there aren't female ice hockey fans. I'm sure they are. I'm saying they don't wear heels, they'd prefer pizza, and they wouldn't be shy to ask Q&As of the players themselves.

Please, please let me go undercover and give you the tongue-in-cheek "female perspective." I'm not joking about the offer! I could do a good job for ya.

I think the point of the night has bene lost a little. From what I can tell the idea is to attract new fans or maybe casual fans into being more hardcore hockey fans. I think it's a fairly good idea since they all get a ticket to the next game to. Even if only half of them use it, that's alot of new or rarely sene people getting a full picture of a hockey game.

Now we just need SportBog commentors night...

Oh I take offense at the insinuation that female hockey fans wouldn't wear high heels. I'm not only a female hockey fan, I'm a Caps STH and I run the DC Police Hockey Foundation. And oh yeah, I own over 20 pairs of Manolo Blahniks.

The more you think about it, the more fascinating that it is that we would be given a chance to ask questions of players' wives. Hmm. Why? What would I ask?

Just brainstorming on possible Q&A questions:

1. Does your husband like to keep the bedroom at an abnormally low temperature?

2. Do you let him bring the stick into the house?

3. Does he ever blame you for him having to sit in the penalty box?

4. Do you think the game would be a little more welcoming and warm if they didn't play it on ice?

5. Why do they have to be so mean to each other? Why can't hockey players just get along?

6. Would't the game be better if they played it on wood, got rid of those dangerous sticks, put the nets up high in the air, and used a larger, easier-to-see and less-likely-to-hurt puck, such as a leather, air-inflated ball?

Cheri,

"I'm a Caps STH and I run the DC Police Hockey Foundation. And oh yeah, I own over 20 pairs of Manolo Blahniks."

Whoaa! I'm standing down totally. You win. (But I'm still thinking high in the 400s is a tough climb in heels. May I assume you've got a lower-level seat?)

Well, I signed up - but I will most definitely not be wearing heels.

"The night's festivities will wrap-up with a cocktail party at Verizon Center 's Acela Club, featuring specialty drinks, hors d'oeuvres and Caps players."

Hmmm...does that wording seem a bit odd to anyone else? Um, yes, I'll take a vodka tonic, a spring roll, and Brooks Laich.

On to the issue at hand - Hockey 'n Heels. Sure, it's a little sexist, or at least the title is. However, as a female who is already a rabid hockey fan, I'm not the target audience - and with an arena that's rarely full on most nights, I don't think this is a time to be picky about how the Caps marketing team conducts business. They're trying everything and anything, and I have to appreciate that.

I think the basic idea - teach people the game and give them a free ticket, and they'll be hooked - is a great one. I've also found that hockey is almost more appealing to women than other sports. Just my own personal experience, no actual studies done or anything.

And please can we refrain from making generalizations about female hockey fans? I love to shop and go to spas, but also love a good slice of pizza and a night at a hockey game. This isn't an either/or situation.

By the way, Dan, I would pay good money to see you climb up to the 400s in heels, and I doubt I'm alone. I'm just saying. ;)

Capschick,

"I don't think this is a time to be picky about how the Caps marketing team conducts business. They're trying everything and anything, and I have to appreciate that."

OK, that's a good point. But, don't take everything that's just posted in a blog comment *too* seriously. I'm just having fun too. Like, really, I don't *intensely* care about wardrobe contests -- but it's fun to play along, y'know.

I'm from New England, a land of strong and willful women. In my book, it's not an insult to say that the women who generally like ice hockey aren't really the spa type. In my life, I've found that to be true. Truly, it's not an insult in my book to wear those practical, low-heeled shoes. So I'm inclined to make a bit of generalizations on this one . . . . I grew up around ice hockey, in ice hockey territory.

And I'm sorry, and yeah the Caps are just doing what they can, but it *is* funny to rift on this hockey and heels stuff. So, nah, I say (as a short-heeled women myself) I don't particularly feel to be silenced on marketing angle they've chosen. I'm inclined to riff on it, but feel free not to take me seriously!

Truly, the only thing I am seriously worried about tonight is whether I'm really going to cheer on Miami so Coach Eddie goes to the All-Stars. NBA. Basketball. THAT'S serious!

So past that, take me with a sense of humor, which I know you have: "take a vodka tonic, a spring roll, and Brooks Laich. . . ." :D

MissChatter's going! Cool!! MissChatter, will you give us a full report on the Ice Hockey night?

Chris, if attendance is an indicator, and the NHL is dying, the NBA must have been dead for about 5 years now.

CapsChick, if Brooks is busy, would settle for Chris Clark? They look like the same person.

I bet Semin all of sudden will speak english when a pretty young girl starts talking to him

I wanna go because I've only seen the bowels of MCI once (I played in the pep band at Maryland; went to a BB&T), and it sounds like some fun.

Am I disqualified because I still sometimes cringe when there's a long pass because I'm worried about a two line pass? :)

Ha- CapsChick, you zeroed in on the exact same thing that I did. Glad to see that great minds think alike.

I'm going; the Caps asked me to come. I'm sure that if you were female, Dan, they'd ask you too.

Nancy - I'll definitely do a full report! And I probably am their target audience having only attended one hockey game in my life to-date. I'd like my players shaken, not stirred, please!

Can someone tell me where Nancy is from?

Decades and decades of fighting for women's rights, and we continue to get crap like quote hockey in heels unquote. Ladies night, fine, but why the heck do they have to throw in the sexism by using heels in the name of the promotion? This woman will NOT be attending that Caps game. And to think when I saw the headline I thought I would...

Godspeed, Caps.

Alas, I'm afraid you'll soon come to grips with what a lot of us learned a long time ago. Actively recruiting lady fans and successfully obtaining lady fans are two entirely different things.

Misschatter: THANK YOU THANK YOU! You are, shall we say, miked-up.

Susan B. Anthony: I actually agree with the posters who say, watchagonna do, CAPS are just trying to do *something* to get more people in and show them how great a sport they think hockey is. Perhaps they're even hoping and liking the buzz on this thread, y'know? Can't take it too seriously.

"Decades and decades of fighting for women's rights, and we continue to get crap like quote hockey in heels unquote."

Nah, see, I think that's funny but not offensive. This isn't a women's rights issues. Guys can make all the hilarious assumptions about heels they want to -- as long as they pay me as well as a guy (which they do). I don't sweat the words. I just think it's funny.

And I do -- Dan, I really do -- worry about the exclusing thing -- that you can't have any of the snacks. Hmm, maybe *you* should go undercover Dan.

I mean it really does immediately call to mind the situation of a trek to the upper 400 rafters in heels!

But the real question is, will the souvenirs be pink?

Kate, you'll be fine. Most people around here didn't know what a 2-line pass was to begin with.

LOL...this has got Susan O'Malley written all over it.

Whoops - sorry, Nancy, I didn't mean to pick on you in particular! I was simply silencing my inner feminist whose first instinct was to be offended and just facing reality that no one is going to games, so marketing to women no matter how bizarre the idea may be is a step in the right direction.

I also now feel secure that if DC Sports Chick is going, everything will be alright :) Be sure to report back - same goes to everyone who attends, I want to hear all about it!

FS: I would take Clarkie, but unfortunately he's married...plus I like guys with teeth. Odd, I know. :)

It sounds like we've got Dan in a bit of a 'Bosom Buddies' situation, who's with me? You can borrow my lipstick if you want.

CapsChick, you're letting the fact that he's married get in the way, and not the fact that he's a millionaire hockey player, and could choose from a large variety of women (or a variety of large women if he prefers)?

"6. Would't the game be better if they played it on wood, got rid of those dangerous sticks, put the nets up high in the air, and used a larger, easier-to-see and less-likely-to-hurt puck, such as a leather, air-inflated ball?"

Don't laugh -- many of us believe this is Gary Bettman's secret plan.

And just think, much like a happy hour at a neighborhood bar, or a bachelorette party at a nightclub, the Caps can get more guys to show up that night by saying that there'll be women there.

Afterall lots of men would try to find the group of women and try to impress with hockey knowledge (only to sound like a moron after the class explained things like icing and offsides the right way).

Grooven, LOL, you're thinking like a guy. Don't be suspicious that that might not be a compliment in this context! ;)

31 posts, who would have thunk?

CapsChick -- no offense taken on my end! This is the internet -- I'm tough skinned and not offended by nuttin' if they spell my name write. (Dad did some politics -- probably it's in my genes.)

"I would take Clarkie, but unfortunately he's married...plus I like guys with teeth. Odd, I know. :)"

Heh!