DNC and RNC Heads Place Bet on NHL Playoffs

WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com

Funny how things work out. Tonight the Colorado Avalanche will meet the Minnesota Wild in the first round of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Avs play in the Pepsi Center... home of the 2008 Democratic National Convention. The Wild play in the Xcel Energy Center... home of the 2008 Republican National Convention.

vs.

The National Hockey League's Stanley Cup Playoffs commence this week, and the cities hosting the 2008 Democratic and Republican National Conventions will be at the center of the action when the Colorado Avalanche and Minnesota Wild face off. Today, the two leaders planning the political conventions agreed to a friendly wager on the series.

Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) CEO Leah D. Daughtry and Republican National Convention President and CEO Maria Cino agreed to the stakes in a phone call earlier today. The losing city's Convention team will send a "taste" of that city's local delicacy for the winning city's Convention staff to enjoy. If the Avalanche win, the Republican team will send the DNCC staff an assortment of walleye fish from the lakes of Minnesota. If the Wild win, the DNCC will send the Republican Convention staff a selection of delectable Colorado-raised beef steaks.

"To my friend Maria and her fine team in Minnesota: get ready to be buried by our Avalanche," said Daughtry. "Denver has welcomed us with open arms, and I'm now proud to ante up on behalf of the hometown team. Fortunately for me, the Avs know what it takes to win a championship. Soon enough, the Pepsi Center will be home to the Stanley Cup once again. And just five months from now, it'll play host to another winner - our nominee for President of the United States."

"Minnesota is the 'State of Hockey,' and I am proud that we have become part of the 'Team of 18,000," Cino said, using the term the Wild coined to describe its consistent sellout crowds. "It is only fitting that we stand with our new community in Minneapolis-Saint Paul and enter into this friendly wager with my friend in Denver, where she and her staff are working equally as hard.

"As I kidded with Leah earlier, our staff in Minneapolis-Saint Paul is pretty excited that the roads to the White House and the Stanley Cup Championship will both lead through the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul," Cino added.

The Avalanche makes its home at the Pepsi Center in Denver - site of the 2008 Democratic National Convention, to be held August 25-28. The Northwest Division Champion Wild play at the Xcel Energy Center, which is also home of the 2008 Republican National Convention. - DNCC Press Release