NHL, NHLPA and Bell Mobility auction 50 3G Blackberry Curve smartphones autographed by players during NHL All-Star Weekend

NEW YORK/TORONTO -- The National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA), the National Hockey League (NHL) and Bell Mobility are conducting a unique auction of 50 autographed Blackberry® Curve™ smartphones from Bell Mobility that were used by NHL All-Stars and NHL YoungStars during the Honda/NHL SuperSkills® on Jan. 24, 2009, at the Bell Centre in Montreal as part of the 2009 NHL All-Star celebration. 

The 2009 NHL All-Star Bell Mobility 3G BlackBerry Curves Auction will be open for bidding through NHL.com and NHLPA.com starting today at 6:00 p.m. ET and ending on Feb. 19 at 9:00 p.m. ET, with proceeds benefiting the NHLPA’s Goals and Dreams fund.

Each of the 50 Blackberry Curves from Bell Mobility up for bid was signed by a different NHL player -- including Patrick Kane, Evgeni Malkin, Ryan Getzlaf, Dany Heatley, Vincent Lecavalier, Jarome Iginla, Alexander Ovechkin and Henrik Lundqvist. For a complete list of Blackberry Curves from Bell Mobility available for auction, visit auction.nhl.com.

"As players, we are thrilled that the NHLPA, Bell and the NHL are auctioning signed Bell Blackberry Curves to raise money for a grassroots hockey program in Montreal through the NHLPA Goals & Dreams fund," said Montreal Canadiens All-Star defenceman Mike Komisarek. "All-Star Weekend in Montreal was such an amazing experience for everyone involved, and with this donation, NHLPA Goals & Dreams will be able to outfit a local hockey program with equipment, while making a lasting impression on the city."

Each Blackberry Curve from Bell Mobility has been security-tagged, serial numbered and registered into the NHL-MeiGray Group Authentication Program and comes with a Letter of Authenticity from the NHLPA and the NHL.

In 1999, the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) launched the Goals & Dreams fund as a way for the players to give something back to the game they love. The players’ program has donated full sets of hockey equipment to more than 9,000 economically disadvantaged children in 17 countries and assisted with upgrades and the building of hundreds of arenas world-wide. To date, Goals & Dreams has donated more than $17-million to grassroots hockey programs around the world making it the largest program of its kind. For more information on the NHLPA, please visit www.nhlpa.com.