April 17

It’s That Time – The 2014 NHL Beard-a-thon!

0  comments

Sports players are notoriously superstitious…

…and hockey players are the worst.

Hockey players have very specific routines. Naps, chewing gum, taping up sticks…you name it. Former NHL official Lloyd Freeberg details several of them in his book “In the Bin: Reckless and Rude Stories from the Penalty Boxes of the NHL.” 

71W20WRYPJL._SY344_PJlook-inside-v2,TopRight,1,0_SH20_BO1,204,203,200_.gif

One of my favorite NHL traditions is the playoff beard. NHL players are so superstitious that many will start growing a beard at the beginning of the playoffs, and not shave until their team has been eliminated. To celebrate this tradition, the NHL made it compelling to fans who wanted to participate, too. They have a whole program for fans to not only grow a beard to show support for their teams, but to raise money for charities in the process.

I’ve done this a few times in the past, even getting named Beard of the Week a while back. I love this tradition. I’ve been a big fan of the Tampa Bay Lightning since the team was founded in 1992, and even covered them for CBS Sportsline back when there was a tie-in to AOL clubhouses in the 90’s. I am, however, also a member of a Philadelphia born and bred family, and so, my big brother supports the Flyers, as he has in the past.

What makes this greater than just a sibling rivalry is all the amazing charities that the Lightning, Flyers, and all the NHL playoff teams support. The Lightning Foundation has worked with over 120 nonprofits alone. In the past, I’ve been a huge proponent of the Vincent Lecavalier Foundation (supporting pediatric cancer research), and James has been a big champion for Ronald McDonald Houses.

This year, I’m starting with a clean slate. I shaved most of my beard off on Tuesday to prep for this year’s Beard-a-thon. The Lightning face Montreal tonight, and the Flyers (Vinny’s new team this year) kick things off Thursday night against the New York Rangers.

Is your team out of it but you still want to be involved? Feel free to like my page or even contribute (it’s a tax write-off). I’ll keep the beard going as long as my team is still in it. It’s a silly, superstitious tradition, but it’s a lot of fun, and it helps a lot of wonderful causes across North America. (And it’s a way to connect if your team didn’t make the postseason.)

I hope this silly tradition becomes a tradition for you, too.

All the best,
nK

BAT_CauseImage1


Tags

@nick_kelly, Beardathon, hockey, In the Bin, Lightning Foundation, Lloyd Freeberg, NHL, Nick Kelly, nK, Philadelphia Flyers, Ronald McDonald House, Tampa Bay Lightning, Vincent Lecavalier Foundation, Writing


You may also like

Movie Review: Behind the Mask

Movie Review: Behind the Mask
{"email":"Email address invalid","url":"Website address invalid","required":"Required field missing"}

Subscribe to our newsletter now!

>