For the fifth year in a row, members of the Tampa Bay Lightning participated in Movember, a global movement which raises money and awareness for men’s health issues during the month of November.
[jump]Movember was started in Melbourne, Australia, in 2003 and has grown to become a worldwide movement. Two guys wanted to bring back the fashion trend of the mustache and that year, 30 guys participated, although no money was raised. In 2004, the 30 guys popularized their lip foliage, drawing in a total of 450 men and raised $43,000 (USD) for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia.
The program raises vital funds focusing on education and awareness to combat prostate and testicular cancer, as well as mental health challenges. Last year in the US alone, over 209,000 participants raised $21 million (USD). Globally, 3 million participants have raised more than $446 million (USD) to date.
The Lightning’s month-long event was kicked off on the Ford Thunder Alley Plaza by Great Clips November 2nd, the night the Bolts defeated the St. Louis Blues 4-2. Many mustaches were handed out to fans who were also motivated to donate to the cause.
Several teams were being lead by Bolts players Teddy Purcell, Ryan Malone and Nate Thompson, as well as the team’s mascot, Thunderbug. Lightning fans were also urged to create their own teams and encourage their friends and family to donate to this great cause as they grew their staches for the 30 days in November. Their Mo Bros, BJ Crombeen, Pierre-Cédric Labrie, Matt Carle, and Radko Gudas, who shaved off his famous facial fur to partake, also particpated in Movember by growing out their ‘staches.
The Lightning also ran a Movember mustache contest where fans could post the progression of their mustaches throughout the month via social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. The winner, Anthony Volpe of Seminole, was announced at last Friday’s home game versus the Pittsburg Penguins and took home a pair of season tickets for all remaining home games as well as complimentary haircuts for a year, compliments of Great Clips.
Between the four teams, Purcell, Malone, Thompson and ThunderBug raised nearly $5k for Movember. Team Malone was the biggest fundraiser. Check out the time-lapse above to see their month-long growth.
Fans can still make donations via www.tampabaylightning.com/movember