No one knows why, but far too many dim marketing morons get paid ungodly amounts of money to "entertain" us at sporting events by hiring your mom's idea of a rockin' band. And just when you thought it couldn't get any worse than the NFL's decision to have Kid Rock, Lady Antebellum, and Maroon 5 ring in 2011 next week in Green Bay, along comes the NHL, where rumor has it the "major Canadian concert act" scheduled to play at next month's NHL FaceOff in Winnipeg is fucking Nickelback.


The good people of Winnipeg are putting up a fight, however. In an open letter to the NHL published the other day in the Winnipeg Free Press, a pair of critics begged the league to stop the music before it even begins.

As people who love music and love Winnipeg even more, we have a request: Please ensure this does not happen. The return of the NHL to Winnipeg is something we have been dreaming about for 15 years. Please do not sully the celebration with the presence of a band whose existence is antithetical to the very concept of celebration. Please, Person In Charge Of Booking This Event, do not bring Nickelback to Winnipeg that weekend. They can play the arena to their own fans — of which there are many — any time. But a free public performance? That would be tantamount to spitting on Bobby Hull's toupee, burning Dale Hawerchuk's jersey, leaving something wet on Thomas Steen's city council seat or tripping Teemu Selanne on the ice during his final season in the NHL.


Then again, good people of Winnipeg, being subjected to a live Nickelback performance does give you the opportunity to throw rocks at them.

We're Begging You, Mr. Bettman... No Nickelback! [Winnipeg Free Press]