Insurer Rejects Fan’s $50,000 Hockey Shot Pay-Out

An Indiana Ice fan who shot a hockey puck the full 175-foot length of the hockey rink into a target with the chance to win $50,000 in a minor league hockey game promotion won’t be able to give the money to charity. The insurance company that holds the policy on the prize disqualified his shot.

The promotion was sponsored by Allstate but was insured by a third-party insurer that said the shot was ineligible for the prize because the shooter, Richard Marsh, had stepped over the starting line, which was against the rules.

Prior to taking the shot, Marsh had said he had planned to donate the entire prize to St. Vincent Heart Center of Indiana.

“Despite the third-party call made on the qualification of the shot, which voided the contest pay-out, the Indiana Ice will be making a monetary donation to the St. Vincent Cardiovascular Services and the American Heart Association on behalf of the contestant,” said Paul Skjodt, president and CEO of Indiana Ice. “We are doing this because it was a close call and a generous gesture by a loyal fan. Indiana Ice thanks our fan base for supporting the team and our sponsors including Allstate for helping to make it possible for our youth athletes to play hockey and have a chance at a D1 hockey scholarship.”

The Indiana Ice has several sponsors of its on-ice contests. For this contest, the Indiana Ice executes the promotion including making any payments for winning shots and determining calls related to the qualification of shot as a winner. As part of this, the Indiana Ice takes out an insurance policy on the prize. The league did not name the third-party insurer.

But Indiana Ice emphasized that Allstate was not responsible for providing the prize money, and the company is an important partner in its ice programs.