Playoff Beards A Success for Mario Lemieux Foundation

When a silly public trend develops into a great way for people to make a difference for a great charity, I get a little hopeful for humanity.

I tried to chronicle my hockey beard last year and the only memory of it was how itchy it got. Then there was a time where I had to take a break from that because I had to look my best for a buddy's wedding.

But the NHL has run with the popularity of fan's solidarity with their teams and started a marathon of charity.

To date, the Penguins have raised $96,708. The Boston Bruins are in second place at $93,659, followed by the Carolina Hurricanes at $55,028, the Washington Capitals at $41,992, the New York Rangers at $28,304, the Chicago Blackhawks at $21,124 and the Detroit Red Wings at $14,870.

Wow! That is surprising that the Red Wings only managed 14k. I don't know if the current state of unemployment affected people's ability to give. But however the Stanley Cup playoffs play out, at least I know that the Penguins are the better fans!

[Via: Pittsburgh Penguins Official Site]