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hockey fans: grow one for the team!

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Beardathon!

There’s still time to grow a beard to support charities during the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs.   Click on the image above to see the official television spot on YouTube.  Here’s the press release:

 

HOCKEY FANS INVITED TO “GROW ONE FOR THE TEAM”
Goal to Raise One Million Dollars for Charity

This season, hockey fans across the United States will be sporting their very own playoffs beards. In addition to participating in a great hockey tradition, they will also be raising money for charities across the county.

The Beard-a-thon® program was launched last year when nine NHL clubs raised a combined $350,000 for charity. This season, the goal is to raise $1 million dollars with twelve NHL clubs participating.

Participants in the Beard-a-thon invite family, friends, and business associates to pledge their playoff beards. By receiving pledges, participants promise not to shave until their team wins the Stanley Cup or is eliminated from the playoffs. Fans who are unwilling, or unable, to grow playoffs beards, can also pledge their favorite player, other local celebrities, or build their own beard with the “Build-a-Beard” web application.

Last season, over 8,000 fans nationwide participated in the Beard-a-thon with former NHL player, and current Director of Development for the Boston Bruins Foundation, Bob Sweeney leading all beard growers by raising over $21,000 for charity. Other celebrity beard growers last season included NHL Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux and the lead singer of the Dropkick Murphys, Ken Casey.

“The intensity, both on and off the ice, goes to a whole new level in the playoffs. The Beard-a-thon gives fans a chance show their passion and raise money for charity,” stated John Cimperman, the Principal of Cenergy, a New York based sports marketing agency that manages the program. Cimperman added, “Last season, the Penguins led all teams in fundraising and also hoisted the Stanley Cup. Coincidence, we think not. It is the power of the beard.”

This season’s participating clubs are the Buffalo Sabres, Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Detroit Redwings, Los Angeles Kings, New Jersey Devils, Phoenix Coyotes, Philadelphia Flyers, San Jose Sharks, Washington Capitals, and defending Stanley Cup and Beard-a-thon Champion, Pittsburgh Penguins. A ‘just fans’ site was also created for fans without a team in the playoffs. Proceeds from this site will benefit Hockey Fights Cancer™, a joint initiative by the National Hockey League and the National Hockey League Players’ Association.

For more information on the Beard-a-thon, log onto www.beardathon.com [Link currently out of service]. All donations to Beard-a-thon are tax deductible.

About the Playoff Beard

A playoff beard is the superstitious practice of a National Hockey League player not shaving his beard during the Stanley Cup playoffs. The player stops shaving when his team enters the playoffs and does not shave until his team is eliminated or wins the Stanley Cup. It is believed that the four-time Stanley Cup Champion New York Islanders started the tradition in the 1980s. In recent years, other sports and other players have claimed the playoff beard tradition, but it is, and always will be, a hockey tradition.

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powerful

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Hector

Click on photo for full image.

beards

gusher

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A friendly gentleman with an amazing beard used to run the Hess gas station in front of Manassas Mall in Virginia.  He kept the massive full beard pretty much all of the time, but occasionally would shave it off and commence re-growing it again right away.  One time when he was in the early stages of growing the beard again, I looked at his beard in awe and thought to myself that the beard growth was so dense and abundant, that it appeared to gush out from his face.  He was a beard gusher — an extraordinary sight, indeed!

I would guess that he has long-since retired by now.  I haven’t been to Virginia in many years.  Still, I’ll never forget the sight of that powerful beard.  Beards like his are rarely seen.  This makes an excellent case for documentary beard photography.  Great beards should be photographed!

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bearded ancestry

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Leigh of Australia submitted his photo for the beards of the world gallery along with a couple of photos of bearded predecessors: his maternal great grandfather and great great grandfather.  All three are unquestionably fine examples of praiseworthy beards.

Walter Thomas

Dr. Walter Thomas (above).

John Thomas

Dr. John Thomas (above).

Now go to see Leigh in the beards of the world gallery.

about beards.org, beards

beard!

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beards.org: beard! Brian, image 001
beards.org: beard! Brian, image 002

These are more examples of original beard photography from beards.org.  There is much more to come.

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going natural, again

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Last night during a brief visit to a major shopping mall (Westfield Valley Fair, Santa Clara / San José), within about fifteen minutes I saw two different full beards with natural cheek and neck lines. In a post last year, I commented on how full beards with both the cheek and neck lines left natural are rarely seen. The perceived social pressure to shape them — at least the neck line — is pretty powerful. It’s so powerful that guys are often so quick to shape them that they do it prematurely and wreck their beard-growing attempts. About the only ones who let the beard go all natural are the homeless. It need not be that way.

Both of the full beards seen at the mall were neat and well-groomed. They looked completely respectable and presentable indeed. The natural cheek and neck lines gave them a distinctive and, well, “natural” look. The men were not scroungy at all. They were well-dressed fathers with young children.

The all-natural look with natural cheek and neck lines may not work for every guy, but guys should not be so afraid to try it. Give it a try and see how it does. When giving it a try, don’t make a half-hearted attempt and give up after a few days. Let it grow out enough to catch up with the rest of the beard. If more guys have the courage to go for the all-natural full beard, the look will gradually gain more acceptance. Go for it.

about beards.org

Welcome

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Welcome to the all about beards blog, the place on the site for sharing thoughts on the site itself as well as thoughts on a variety of topics related to beards. The blog is just one of many enhancements planned for the site in 2006, all about beards’ tenth anniversary year. Welcome aboard.