Superstitions and sports go together like peanut butter and chocolate. There have been many over the ages. Baseball player Wade Boggs only ate chicken on game day. Basketball superstar Michael Jordan wore his North Carolina blue underneath his pro NBA uniform. Some bowlers believe putting 300 (a perfect game) on your license plate is good luck. Some fisherman throw back their first catch for luck.
In any sport, you never say the word “shutout” during a game until it’s over.
One of the best traditions in sports is the NHL tradition of the playoff beard. During the playoffs (which go for four rounds and require 16 wins to life Lord Stanley’s Cup), players will not shave until they have been eliminated or won it all. This is why the pictures from the finals look like two squads of cavemen.
In 2009, the NHL began allowing fans to participate as well. Fans can grow their own beards, and raise money for charities designated by the team. I’ve done it in the past, and I’m doing it again in 2015. My team is the Tampa Bay Lightning, whose Lightning Foundation charity works with a number of local causes. Among these causes is the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida. Their mission is to contribute to the prevention and cure of cancer. Muffitt Cancer Center activities include the Magnolia Ball, which has raised over $22 Million. The center has partnerships with the Shula Fund, the Tampa Bay Rays, and the state of Florida, which offers a Cancer Research personalized license plate.
It’s Game Six tonight for the Lightning against the Detroit Red Wings, and I’m happy to say my beard has managed to raise a pretty nice amount for the Foundation. I still haven’t hit my goal, but I’m committed to the cause. As long as the Bolts stay in the playoffs, I’ll keep growing the beard and asking for donations. Interested in helping out? Follow the link to my Beardathon entry.
Go Bolts!
nK
