Down In Front, Snoop!

From the outside very little about Oracle Arena, which appears to have dropped out of the sky onto a vast parking lot outside of Oakland, says Hollywood. Until recently the same was true on the inside, but during the Warriors' shocking playoff upset of the Mavericks the crowds at Golden State's home grew as beautiful as any in L.A. Jessica Alba, Kate Hudson, Owen Wilson, Penny Marshall, Santana, Snoop Dogg and Woody Harrelson all cropped up courtside. Last month Snoop (along with Luke Wilson and Rachel Hunter) also took in a Ducks playoff game in Anaheim, adding some star power to another venue generally short on celebrities.

Are these stars really rabid Warriors and Ducks fans? Maybe, but sports event appearances can also be as orchestrated as a gig on The Tonight Show. As a Warriors spokesperson says, having a celeb in the house creates a cool factor: "Suddenly you can look at [a Warriors game] like the place to be." Golden State insists it didn't recruit the stars who've been showing up for the playoffs. But the NHL, which is desperate for buzz, works hard to get at least B-list butts into its seats. Last year the league, with the help of Los Angeles--based p.r. firm Rogers & Cowan, created a celebrity recruiting program. The NHL has distributed what it calls the ICE Card to some 40 actors, musicians and other celebs; cardholders can call an 800 number on the back to get free tickets whenever and wherever they want.

Nick Lachey (below), Christina Aguilera, Elisha Cuthbert, Rachel McAdams and Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr. are among the cardholders. The NHL also created an "entertainment advisory board" (it includes movie producers Jerry Bruckheimer and Barry Josephson) to brainstorm ways to make games and broadcasts more fun for fans. It's hoped that both efforts will make a sport that has trouble attracting attention feel hip again. "We are in the entertainment business," says NHL senior vice president of communications Bernadette Mansur. "Everybody needs to remain relevant."