Hockey fans are gearing up for another NHL season, which also happens to mark fan favorite Sidney Crosby's first season as captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins, which many Canadians watch simply because of the superstar's ability to pre-empt all-Canadian match-ups in favor of Yankee Doodle Crosby games.

Also this year (and not coincidently), Pepsi, Lay's, Doritos, and Gatorade are running a promotion called "Game On with Sidney Crosby," which includes four chances to meet the guy in person. The promo has been running from September 9, 2007 and continues through to November 3, 2007.

With a total of 1,344 prizes up for grabs, consumers must look for an Entry Code located on specially-marked "Game On with Sidney Crosby" Pepsi and 7UP soft drinks, Lay's potato chips, and Doritos tortilla chips or the UPC code from any Gatorade product. Naturally, you're expected to buy the stuff first, then visit gameonwithsidney.ca and enter the Entry Code (or Gatorade UPC code) to be entered in the hourly draw.

For those with little interest in meeting Sid the Pre-emptor, other prizes include:

• 960 copies of EA Sports NHL 08 for Xbox 360
• 200 Xbox 360 Core videogame systems
• 120 Samsung 32" LCD HDTVs
• 28 Sidney Crosby autographed hockey sticks
• 28 Sidney Crosby autographed replica jerseys
• 4 NHL All-Star Game VIP Experiences in Atlanta

Prizes will be seeded randomly with the exception of the All-Star VIP Experience and the Meet Sidney Crosby Experience, which will be alternately awarded once per week for the 8 weeks of the promotion. The promotion will be supported with "Game On with Sidney Crosby" in-store displays at retail outlets throughout Canada.