THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, February 11, 1995 TAG: 9502110112
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 87 lines
Upon further review, the seven Honda dealerships in Hampton Roads hastily decided to present David Palmer with a $22,390 car Friday night, to end a public relations nightmare.
With a Scope crowd of 8,987 shouting its approval, the Hampton resident took possession of the black 1995 Honda Accord wagon between periods of Friday's Hampton Roads Admirals hockey game.
Palmer accepted the keys, shook his fists in exultation and took a victory lap around the ice as the crowd stood and cheered.
``What a great feeling,'' said Palmer, who loads vending machines for Bon Ton Vending of Newport News. ``This is just wonderful.''
It was hardly a wonderful scene Thursday night at Scope when Palmer appeared to win, then lost, The Honda Shootout. The contest is simple, though it's nearly impossible to win. After being selected by a blind draw, an Admirals fan can win a car by using a hockey stick to knock a puck 89 feet through a small hole in a sheet of plywood in front of a goal.
Nobody had won a car in 191 games spanning nearly six years, and there's little wonder. The hole is one-quarter of an inch larger than a puck.
Yet Palmer zinged a shot from center ice that appeared to go directly into the slot. Thursday's crowd of 5,393 gave a thunderous ovation, and Palmer, thinking he had won, was driven off the ice in the car.
But an official ruled the puck hadn't quite crossed the goal line - it was less than an inch short.
The fans booed, and began chanting ``give him the car.'' Some angrily confronted Admirals owner Blake Cullen, who doesn't sponsor the contest, and has no control over the winner.
One fan hit Cullen in the back of the head and called him ``a ----ing cheapskate.''
Joe McGuire, general manager of Checkered Flag Honda, realized the Greater Hampton Roads Honda Dealers had a big problem.
``I didn't sleep all night,'' said McGuire, who drives the Honda - there's a different one for each game - on and off the ice each night. ``I was wondering how we were going to get out of this.''
At sunrise, phone calls from irate fans started pouring into Honda dealerships.
``They were calling from all over,'' said Michael Bridge, a car salesman at Riddle Honda in Portsmouth. ``They were pretty upset.''
At 8 a.m., McGuire began calling other dealers. By 11:30 a.m., they had conferred by conference call and agreed to give Palmer the car.
``Technically, he didn't win, but when I was talking with the other dealers, I told them that in five years of driving the car, it was the shot of a lifetime,'' McGuire said.
``I saw it go in. We know the rules, but he hit our target. We've had some close shots, but nobody hit the target like that.
``They (the other dealers) were more than willing to give him the car.''
Even if it costs the dealers every dime of the $22,390. The dealers bought insurance for the contest, but as of Friday, the insurance company hadn't yet agreed to pay.
Palmer got a bonus. Cullen gave him a check for $500 as a consolation prize Thursday. When Palmer tried to give it back Friday, Cullen refused.
McGuire said it was a pleasure to give Palmer the car.
``He handled things very well,'' McGuire said. ``He handled both the good news and the bad news well.''
As well as a brief fling as a celebrity. He was interviewed live on two television stations. Fans bought him beer, pretzels and cookies, slapped him on the back and presented him with balloons as he watched the game.
``I'm a little overwhelmed,'' he said. ``I'm still kind of shocked.''
So was his wife, Laura, a teacher at Hardy Elementary School in Smithfield. Palmer is giving the car to his wife, who has a long commute to work.
``I'm driving a 1986 Spectrum,'' she said. ``It's gone through three engines.
``Hey, we need this car.''
And the car is theirs, by popular demand. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo by MOTOYA NAKAMURA, Staff
Fan gets Honda by popular demand
David Palmer exults after receiving the keys to a $22,390 Honda
Accord between periods of Friday night's Hampton Roads Admirals
hockey game at Scope. Dealers gave Palmer the car after a
controversy over his hockey shot Thursday night that went part-way
through a target slot.
KEYWORDS: CONTEST WINNER HOCKEY by CNB