On January 11, 2017, I received a once in a lifetime opportunity from Uber and the Chicago Blackhawks. Uber had a promotion to be picked up in a Blackhawks Chevy Suburban and play trivia with Hall of Famer Denis Savard. Prizes and rides were extremely limited but if you know me, that’s not going to stop me from trying.
How It Went Down
My good friend, Nicole, informed me of the promotion the night before because she knows I live for contests like this. She’s a personal trainer who has an affinity for collecting sports memorabilia and memories like myself. This wasn’t my first dance with Uber contests and I’ll be honest, I’ve won a few before. Shhh.
That morning, I entered the promo code in my Uber app and I was ready to go. As soon as the clock hit 11 am, I started requesting the ride, time after time.
Persistence is key and you’re not going to get an opportunity like this with minimal effort. Finally, after about 45 minutes I received the notification like it was your typical Uber ride, “Your Uber is on the way. Denis (5.0 stars) will arrive in 10 minutes.”
How Cool?
The Experience
The ExperienceI grew up watching “Savoir-Faire” and he’s a hockey legend. Then, you tell me he’s going to drive me around and ask me Blackhawks trivia. I’m stoked!
Before I got to meet him I had to sign a waiver and get mic’d up. Because of my excitement, I felt like this was taking forever. Then I was informed they would be filming for a commercial. Even more awesome!
I finally got to enter the truck and there was Denis Savard sitting in the driver seat. I was already smiling as I shook his hand and said thank you, repeatedly.
He went into his spiel about the Blackhawks, Uber and told me he was going to ask me some trivia while he drove me around The Loop. It was at this point he also told me to stop calling him Mr. Savard and call him Savvy.
Then lights went on like Cash Cab, but in the colors of the Blackhawks’ feathers.
Nice!
Trivia Questions
- For $10, How many feathers are on the Blackhawks crest? A: Four $10
- For $10, Who wears number 22 for the Blackhawks now? A: Jordin Tootoo $10
- For $10, Who did the Blackhawks defeat in the 2010 Stanley Cup Final? A: Philadelphia Flyers 10
- For $20, What year did construction begin on the United Center? A: 1993 $20
- For $20, What year was Denis Savard Drafted? A: 1980 $20
- For $20, What are the names of two of the three players who created playlists for Pandora this season? A: Niklas Hjalmarsson and Patrick Kane $20
I had amassed $90 for those 6 questions. This was going well.
Next, they told me I could double it if I answered a pop culture question. The caveat being, I would get nothing if I was wrong. C’mon! This is house money and I’m going for it.
- Who won the Oscar in 2016 for Best Actor? A: Leonardo DiCaprio
Nailed it for total of $180 in about 10 minutes!
Go For It
Wayne Gretzky once said, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” This is the only motivational saying I use in my life.
I’ll be honest, I’ve had a lot of once in a lifetime opportunities because I am the one that takes these shots. Instead of thinking I can’t win, I think of strategies of how to win. It’s not easy work but the rewards are great and I enjoy the hunt.
The result this time happened to be meeting one of my heroes, Denis Savard. The money and tickets were just bonuses to getting to spend time with a special person. I am very thankful to Uber and the Blackhawks but I can’t say enough about how genuine and nice Savvy was through the whole experience.
.@Uber_CHI driver for the day Denis Savard tests a passenger's hockey knowledge with cash money on the line in Blackhawks Bucks! pic.twitter.com/uixPgNlAiz
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) February 20, 2017
