It is breast cancer awareness month. (I had to mention that for anyone who has been living under a rock.) Many organizations are doing special events this month in order to raise awareness.
The NHL has designated October as Hockey Fights Cancer month--this is for ALL cancer, not just breast cancer. All teams will have special nights in which they will raise money for cancer-related reasons. One reason the NHL supports cancer awareness so fully is the fact that there are many players who have battled cancer and come back to their careers--Phil Kessel was only 19 years old when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer and Saku Koivu had non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Both are still playing in the NHL. Everyone is affected by this disease and we all need to do our share to eradicate it.
The Red Wings will hold their Hockey Fights Cancer night on Friday. There are not many days in my life that I wish I lived closer to Detroit, but for Friday night's game, I would like to be there. At Joe Louis Arena, the focus will be on breast cancer and the amount of 'special' things that will be sold make me WANT! Come on, I could buy a player-signed puck for only $20 and then there is the drawing for one lucky fan to actually get to meet a player. To top it all off, there is an auction after the game and one of the items is a game-worn, autographed jersey that VF wore on 2 January--my Baby Boy's jersey and I don't have the opportunity to bid on it! Oh the injustice. ;)
Now, I KNOW it isn't the same as seeing the Wings, but we WILL be attending our local NAHL team's game on Thursday night. The night is designated as "Paint The Rink Pink" for breast cancer awareness. As part of the special activities, the players will be wearing pink jerseys, which will be auctioned off after the game. Will I bag myself a pink jersy? Who knows, but it will be a fun evening, nonetheless. And it is a chance to see a possible NHL player before he even gets into the pros! What could be better--AND we will be supporting a cause that is a good one, too.
Giving Till It Hurts
