Time For The Fuzz

I'm not sure what you were up to today, but I feel like I've had a pretty swell day. We made some pulled pork in our smoker last night, and the sandwiches today were excellent. But that wasn't the highlight of my day. Instead, I spent the day with a few fairly important people, and two of the finest members of the hockey world. With Movember starting up on November 1, the hockey world will feature some solid facial hair designs once again, and HBIC will be partaking in the fun. With the event preparing to kick off in approximately two weeks, there were two important hockey players that helped celebrate the event.

First off, I'm a big fan of this idea of promoting men's health by celebrating a little facial hair under the nose. HBIC will be featuring a "Mo Bro" from the hockey world every week as I build my "Moustached All-Star Squad", but the good cause it goes to support can really use your support. During the month of November, men grow moustaches to help raise funds and promote "awareness for men's health, specifically prostate cancer and male mental health initiatives".

If you're a guy, all you have to do is register at the Movember website, and you can become a "Mo Bro". Ladies, you're not excluded from the event, either! If you'd like to be a "Mo Sista", all you need to do is support the men who are growing their soup-strainer, and you can be in on the action as well. "Mo Bros effectively become walking, talking billboards for the 30 days of November. Through their actions and words, they raise awareness by prompting private and public conversation around the often ignored issue of men's health".

Some of the causes being helped in Canada this year are Prostate Cancer Canada, Global Action Plan, and the Canadian Male Health Network. All of the causes that help men visit their doctors more often are excellent causes, and I'm glad to help out by posting a message today and throughout November.

Far too often, men play the role of Mr. Invincible where they put off seeing their doctors until something is seriously wrong. Men, we are idiots for thinking this. Seeing a doctor is the best preventative measure one can take when looking after one's self. Doctors are trained experts who know when trouble is looming and how to take care of it before it becomes a full-blown problem. So if you haven't done it yet, book an appointment with your doctor today! Especially if you're over 30 and haven't had the rubber glove treatment yet!

But back to today's fun, myself and Beans, co-host of The Hockey Show on 101.5 UMFM, were lucky enough to be invited down to meet the men and women who are doing the excellent work in getting the Movember message out. They had informed us that there would be special guests at the event, and that there would be an autograph session during the day.

Little did we know that we'd be graced with one of Canada's best hockey players, and one of Winnipeg's most celebrated NHL players.

Jennifer Botterill arrived first to Source For Sports, and she brought with her some hardware. Jennifer spent nearly two hours speaking to kids and signing autographs which had everyone grinning from ear to ear. She was gracious with her time, and she really made an impact on a number of young hockey players. Getting a chance to see and touch an Olympic medal was also pretty special!

Joining her for an hour at the event was Winnipeg's own Mike Keane! The three-time Stanley Cup winner signed autographs and was joking around with a number of the people there. Like Jennifer, Mike was gracious with his time in answering questions and making people laugh, and he was an excellent addition to the Movember event with his Fu Manchu!

Pictured with Mike and Jennifer in this picture are Jeff Palson on the left and Jamie Hopkins on the right. Jeff and Jamie are the Movember Committee Co-Chairs in Winnipeg, and they were signing up new Mo Bros and Mo Sistas all day long. They were giving away some Schick shaving gear so that people can start with a freshly-shaven upper lip on November 1 before allowing the whiskers to grow back in, and a lot of people were appreciative of the great gift. Jeff and Jamie did a ton of excellent promoting that day, and we're hoping to get them on The Hockey Show in an upcoming episode!

Overall, it was an amazing day where people got to meet two hockey heroes, and we'll have some sound bytes this week on The Hockey Show. Make sure you get yourself registered as a Mo Bro or Mo Sista over at the Movember page, and help the cause out. If you want to support me, and I am participating, you can pledge some cash for the cause by clicking on my link. You'll be able to see updates of my facial growth as we progress through November as well!

I want to thank Jeff and Jamie for inviting Beans and I down to the event, Mike Keane and Jennifer Botterill for turning the event into a great time, and to everyone who has signed up already for helping this important cause out.

Movember - you know you wanna!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!