Fighting cancer, one hashtag, auction and game at a time

16th Century English writer John Heywood said, “Many hands make light work.”  Many hands also raise a lot of money, and nowhere was that more evident than on Twitter Sunday night. Los Angeles Kings and Colorado Avalanche fans turned out in droves to compete in the first ever “NHL Hashtag Battle” to raise money for charity. From the opening puck drop to the final buzzer, fans were encouraged to tweet either #GoKings or #GoAvs. The team with the most tweets would “win” the competition, but the real winners were Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and Kroenke Sports Charities in Denver. In fact, as the game drew to a close, many people on Twitter included both #GoKings and #GoAvs in the same tweets. Even non-Kings and Avs fans joined the battle, racking up some pretty hefty numbers on both sides. When the dust cleared and the hashtags were counted, Kings fans came out on top, with 29,374 to 13,876 for Avs fans.  They even made #GoKings the Number One trending topic on Twitter worldwide for the majority of the game. In a wrap-up that evening, the Kings’ Rich Hammond informed the public that the Hashtag Battle raised 43,000 for the two charities.

The Hashtag Battle is just one of a number of events taking place throughout October to mark “Hockey Fights Cancer” month. Every NHL team’s coaching staff sports lavender ties at games, while every player’s helmet includes a “Hockey Fights Cancer” sticker. The NHL is also teaming up with the NHL Player’s Association to auction off autographed copies of the book “Best of the Decade: Reflections of Hockey’s Past Ten Years.” The online auction opened at 6pm ET today and closes at 9pm ET on Thursday, November 4^th. For more information, check out: auction.nhl.com or nhlpa.com. Many teams also held 50/50 raffles, sold mystery pucks, autographed hats and other items to raise money for local charities.

Some teams are doing much more to benefit not only the NHL’s HFC charitable partners, “Prostate Cancer Canada” and “ZERO – The Project to End Prostate Cancer,” but local cancer charities in their own backyards. Here are just a few examples of what they’re doing to raise money and awareness, plus celebrating those who are winning the battle and honoring those who did not.

The Edmonton Oilers raised $100,000 for cancer charities in their first ever “Rally Against Cancer.” The team sold limited edition scarves, bundled with signed player cards at games and online. The online auction, which runs from today through November 9, also includes game-worn, team-signed jerseys and other memorabilia. Check them out at: www. edmontonoilers.com. All proceeds benefit Kids with Cancer Society, Lois Hole Hospital and Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation.

The Buffalo Sabres’ wives and girlfriends sold autographed hats donated by New Era for $20 at a game on October 22^nd. Before the game, the team donated $10,000 to Kevin Guest House on behalf of the Buffalo Sabres Foundation. Ryan Miller donated his suite for the entire season to members of Carly’s Club, an organization that helps young cancer patients.  Craig Rivet and Thomas Vanek donated suite tickets to that night’s game to members of Camp Good Days.

The Anaheim Ducks took time to remember the team’s oral surgeon, Dr. Jeffrey Pulver, who died in June following a 14 year cancer battle. They also honored three cancer survivors on the roster: Saku Koivu, Jason Blake and Aaron Voros. Koivu and Blake took part in the ceremonial puck drop, with representatives of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Orange County/Inland Empire chapter, which also received a $10,000 donation.

The St. Louis Blues held silent auctions to raise money for Friends of Kids with Cancer, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and Be the Match. The team presented the agencies with $10,000, on behalf of Mandi Schwartz, sister of Blues 2010 draft pick Jaden Schwartz, who just underwent a bone marrow transplant in Seattle.

The Nashville Predators got their opponents in on the action during their HFC game night on October 21^st. The team held a silent auction featuring not only autographed Preds memorabilia and game-worn jerseys; they also featured jerseys autographed by Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins, who played in Nashville that night. JP Dumont and Steve Sullivan hosted Children’s Hospital patients and families in the “Kids Come First” suite, and the band “Soul Incision,” made up of doctors at Vanderbilt University medical Center, entertained the crowd during intermissions. Fans could also donate bone marrow before and during the game.

The Los Angeles Kings also held a bone marrow drive before the October 15^th game against the Canucks. Everyone who donated bone marrow received two tickets to an upcoming game. The Kings Care foundation is also selling mini hockey glove key chains for the rest of the season for a mere $10 donation. That night, they auctioned off a game-worn helmet. The helmet with the highest bid was autographed and delivered to the winner by the player.  Money raised went to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Movember (a moustache growing charity that raises money and awareness for men’s health) and Koru Cares, a charitable trust that makes dreams come true for children with various illnesses.

The New York Islanders paid homage to fans, by asking them to share their cancer stories, then posting them online. If you haven’t been able to check them out, you need to. The stories are very touching. They also auctioned off 22 game-used sticks wrapped in black tape with pink ribbons. And goaltender Rick DiPietro made headlines after showing off special pink goalie pads that he was wearing to pay tribute to breast cancer survivors and those who did not survive.

The Tampa Bay Lightning also honored cancer survivors by playing their stories on the Jumbotron, among other events.

The Pittsburgh Penguins’ Maxime Talbot talked about his mother’s breast cancer battle and taped a public service announcement for a local charity. She’s doing well, by the way. San Jose Sharks forward Devin Setoguchi opened up about his grandmother’s cancer battle, which sadly ended last Christmas. And Washington Capitals players Matt Bradley, Mike Knuble and Tyler Sloan paid tribute to their mothers during a pre-game ceremony on October 23^rd.

It is said that everyone knows someone who has been touched by cancer. I know that this is true for me. My grandmother died of breast cancer. Three of my friends have successfully battled breast cancer (so far). Two others have overcome Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Those friends are all in their 30’s and 40’s. They all had support from a network of family and friends. Other cancer patients don’t have that luxury – they face their battles alone. But they don’t have to, thanks to organizations like those mentioned in this story, and donations from people like you. Many hands make light work. But even just one hand can make a big difference.