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Pens Reward Fans With Social Media Vending Machine

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – The Pittsburgh Penguins rewarded some fans in a unique way Wednesday, ahead of the start of the first-round playoff series against the New York Rangers.

The Penguins gave away signed pucks, jerseys, playoff tickets and apparel today through a special Twitter vending machine.

"We have the signed pucks, we also have bobbleheads, Penguins earbuds, we have even a Fleury stick, signed mini-helmets and other great stuff," said Andi Perman, the Penguins' new media coordinator.

Dozens of fans lined up at Consol Energy Center starting at 11 a.m. to try their hand at the machine.

The instructions were simple: step up to the machine, tweet your favorite Penguins playoff moment and win a prize.

"I tweeted when Sidney Crosby lifted up the Stanley Cup when he had an injured leg," said fan Catherine Leskovec, from the South Side.

"It was really cool," added fan Kelsey Clark, of St. Clairsville, Ohio. "We just got done with class and came down to check it out and got a Dick's gift card, so that's really exciting."

The machine generated a specific hashtag for each person. When the specific hashtag was used, the machine would vend the prize.

"It's really nice to do something to kick off the playoffs that's free and engaging, and gets fans in the building," said Perman,

The machine was only up and running through 5 p.m. But, if you miss out on today's event, the Penguins left the door open for it to return at some point in the future.

The Penguins will begin their quest for the Stanley Cup Thursday evening in New York.

KDKA's Rich Walsh has more on the Pens from NYC:

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