Bruins fans will have to couch bets

Furniture shopping and college football ... strange bedfellows.

Proving that almost anything can be paired, however, the Los Angeles furniture store, H.D. Buttercup, started a creative promotion Thursday, linked to today’s USC-UCLA football game.

If you purchase at least $2,000 worth of furniture -- before the 1:30 p.m. kickoff -- and the Bruins win, the furniture is free.

A saleswoman named Samantha said Friday that most of the phone calls the store had been receiving were related to the promotion. Purchasers must fill out a form saying they are signing up for the promotion and the furniture can’t be returned if the Bruins lose.

For someone who happens to need furniture, it’s not a bad bet. And the store was working on setting up a TV set to keep track of the proceedings this afternoon.

“It’s a win-win situation,” the saleswoman said, sounding a lot like a football coach.

Well, not exactly ...

It’s a good guess that Chicago Bears fan and furniture store owner Randy Gonigam didn’t use the words “win-win” back in September, after his promotion went slightly awry.

A slight rewind: Gonigam, a furniture store owner in Plano, Ill., offered free furniture up to $10,000 if the Bears shut out the Packers in their season opener on Sept. 10.

Score of that game? Chicago 26, Green Bay 0.

Cost: Almost $300,000.

“This is beyond our wildest dreams,” he told a reporter after the dust cleared.

Luckily, he had taken out insurance.

Trivia time

Speaking of Bears shutouts, let’s delve into the history books. What was their largest margin of victory?

Involuntary separation

The Hockey News spoke to several former and current NHL coaches -- “Hired to Be Fired” -- and asked them about the fateful day of termination.

Former Kings coach and ESPN analyst Barry Melrose recalled getting the news after a morning skate, preparing for a game against the Edmonton Oilers.

But the true explosion occurred when he delivered the news to his wife, Cindy. She had to come to the rink, bringing the family’s truck to haul away his belongings.

“Cindy is a very fiery lady and by the time she gets to the rink, she is hopping mad,” Melrose told Mike Brophy. “The Oilers are on the ice for their skate and she starts yelling, ‘Go Oilers! I hope you kick their ... tonight. The Kings [stink]!’ It was quite a scene.”

Trivia answer

They beat Washington, 73-0, in the 1940 NFL championship game.

And finally

Chelsea soccer star Arjen Robben of the Netherlands, on finding out about his reputation on the Internet:

“I saw this piece about me being among the 55 players nominated for the European player-of-the-year award.

“Next to my name there was a cartoon, with me in an orange shirt, falling on the grass. The piece said I had been nominated ... for the Golden Dive. Cartoons are supposed to make you smile, but this one hurt so much.”

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lisa.dillman@latimes.com