Penguins fans win, then lose, free playoff tickets via text message

While it's not exactly a sweepstakes company going to the wrong house with a giant check, 460 Pittsburgh Penguins fans went from winning playoff tickets to having them yanked away in the span of two text messages this week.

According to KDKA in Pittsburgh, the fans had entered a pregame contest in order to win tickets to a Penguins' home game -- which are hard to come by in the playoffs. They all received a text message of congratulations on winning the tickets ... only to receive this message (image) an hour later:

"Due 2prgrmng error, the results of 2days student rush txt alrt were invalid &unfortunately u didn't win the contest. We apologize 4inconvenience. STOP."

No "LOL"? Just "STOP"? What was this, sent from a telegraph? From KDKA comes word that this was a bit of human error:

"I think in laymen's terms, 'Somebody pushes the wrong button,'" explained Pens spokesman Tom McMillan.

He says the team is apologizing to all 460 fans who got the text message in error. An automated phone call went out to all of those fans apologizing. On Wednesday, someone from the Penguins will personally call.

The Penguins have cultivated one of the most passionate and dedicated fan bases in the NHL -- the team plans on having a tailgate party, a massive fan rally and then an outdoor viewing of tonight's Game 3 against the Washington Capitals at Mellon Arena. In keeping with that attention to their customers, every fan who received the erroneous text message is going to get a $25 gift card, Penguins gear and two tickets to a regular-season game next season.

Best of all, none of them will have to bear witness in the arena to the potential demise of their team's season, as the Penguins are down 2-0 and desperately trying to figure out how to turn their series around.

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