Avs, NHL Join In The Fight

During the month of October each NHL club will host a Hockey Fights Cancer Awareness Night at a home game.  The Avalanche celebrated its Hockey Fights Cancer Awareness Night on Sunday against the San Jose Sharks at Pepsi Center. The Avalanche organization offered discounts on tickets with a portion of proceeds benefiting the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Pink hats and pink pucks were available for purchase with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Komen Foundation (Denver Affiliate) and Hockey Fights Cancer. Avalanche coaches Joel Quenneville, Jacques Cloutier and Tony Granato all wore pink ties on the bench during the game.

The National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) and the National Hockey League (NHL) will mark the 10th Anniversary of Hockey Fights Cancer with a year-long celebration that commences in October with Hockey Fights Cancer Awareness Month.  The League-wide initiative will include numerous activities in October involving all 30 clubs, players, management and fans. 

Clubs will team with local and national cancer organizations to promote cancer awareness and raise funds for this important cause.  Tickets will be donated to Children’s Hospitals and cancer-affiliated programs, and young patients will be involved in the night with opportunities including zamboni rides, puck-drops and player meet-and-greets.   Clubs will hold on-ice presentations, 50/50 raffles, offer discount tickets and participate in fundraising runs/walks.  There also will be auctions of signed items, including helmets, sticks and other team merchandise.

In support of October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, all NHL players will wear a pink Hockey Fights Cancer decal on their helmet during all regular-season games in October.  A selection of helmets will be signed and auctioned on www.nhl.com . 

Commemorative apparel also has been created for Hockey Fights Cancer.  Team-specific pink ladies’ caps, designed by New Era, will be on-sale at select team stores.  Members of the hockey family, including coaches and broadcasters, will wear pink Hockey Fights Cancer ties at their respective team’s Hockey Fights Cancer Awareness Night.  The pink caps and ties will be on-sale at www.shop.nhl.com with a portion of the proceeds benefiting Hockey Fights Cancer.

To further promote Hockey Fights Cancer, the NHLPA and the NHL, together with Getty Images and Greystone Books, have published Reflections on a Hockey Season: The 2007 NHL Year in Photographs.  The first of an annual visual celebration, the book chronicles the highlights and candid, behind-the-scenes images from the 2006-07 NHL season.  Dedications from Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Saku Koivu, Phil Kessel and Paul Stewart are included, and a portion of the proceeds benefit Hockey Fights Cancer.  The book is available on www.shop.nhl.com and in team stores starting today. It will also be available in retail stores October 22.  Copies autographed by team captains will be auctioned on www.nhl.com and www.nhlpa.com in mid-October.

“Cancer is a disease that affects too many people and our hockey family is no exception,” said Bernadette Mansur, Executive Director of the NHL Foundation.  “With the support of all 30 NHL Clubs, players and fans, we are working together to raise money and awareness for this important fight.”

“This October, players look forward to commemorating ten years of Hockey Fights Cancer by putting it at the forefront of our charitable initiatives,” said Devin Smith, NHLPA Director, Community Relations. “It’s encouraging to see the entire hockey community continue to be involved in a joint commitment to find a cure in hockey’s greatest fight.”

Hockey Fights Cancer is a joint charitable initiative founded in December 1998 by the National Hockey League and National Hockey League Players’ Association.  It is supported by Players, NHL Member Clubs, NHL Alumni, the NHL Officials’ Association, Professional Hockey Athletic Trainers and Equipment Managers, corporate marketing partners, broadcast partners and fans throughout North America.  The goal of Hockey Fights Cancer is to raise money and awareness for national and local organizations involved in cancer care and research.  To date, Hockey Fights Cancer has raised more than $9 million.
 

Below is a schedule of Hockey Fights Cancer Awareness Nights:

Thursday 10/4/07       
St. Louis @ PHOENIX

Sunday 10/4/07       
San Jose @ COLORADO
   
Wednesday 10/10/07   
Ottawa @ ATLANTA
   
Friday 10/12/07       
Capitals @ NY RANGERS

Saturday 10/13/07       
Penguins @ TORONTO
Edmonton @ VANCOUVER
New Jersey @ ATLANTA
Tampa Bay @ FLORIDA

Tuesday 10/16/07       
Minnesota @ LOS ANGELES 
Atlanta @ PHILADELPHIA

Thursday 10/18/07       
New York Rangers @ ATLANTA
Los Angeles @ CALGARY

Friday 10/19/07       
Columbus @ BUFFALO

Saturday 10/20/07       
Buffalo @ MONTREAL
Minnesota @ ST. LOUIS
New Jersey @ NY ISLANDERS

Sunday 10/21/07       
Vancouver @ COLUMBUS

Mon, 10/22/07       
Vancouver @ CAROLINA

Tuesday 10/23/07       
Rangers @ PITTSBURGH
Columbus @ CHICAGO

Thursday 10/25/07       
Chicago @ BOSTON

Friday 10/26/07       
Vancouver @ WASHINGTON
San Jose @ DETROIT

Saturday 10/27/07       
Buffalo @ TAMPA 
Washington @ ST. LOUIS
Florida @ NASHVILLE

Sunday 10/28/07       
Edmonton @ ANAHEIM 

Tuesday 10/30/07       
Detroit @ EDMONTON
Pittsburgh @ MINNESOTA

TBD               
SAN JOSE
NEW JERSEY