Ladies and gentlemen, let the moustaches begin.
Nov. 1 marked the date where for a month, Gillette shaving product sales fall drastically and men are able to keep a warm upper lip during the harshness of winter, while females tend to have a harder time finding a ‘moustache-less’ date for Foxy Tuesdays.
Look no further than ‘Movember’ as the leading cause of these events.
November is commonly referred to as “Movember” or “No-Shave November,” where Canadian men grow a moustache for a month and refuse to shave, and attempt to raise money for the research and awareness of prostate cancer.
The Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks men’s hockey team has taken Movember to heart by hosting their third annual “Movember-Shave Off.”
The event took place in the Science Atrium on campus on Oct. 31st and was the kickoff to the team’s annual Movember fundraising campaign.
“The Shave-Off was great, we were fortunate enough to have a great turnout throughout the entire afternoon and every member from our team made an appearance,” said second-year forward Tyler Stothers.
Team captain Kyle Van De Bospoort chimed in, giving credit to the organizers.
“The ladies responsible for coordinating and promoting did a great job,” he said. “It was very successful with everyone signed up online freshly shaven before November even arrived.”
Head coach Greg Puhalski believes this event is also very important for the community of Waterloo and the school.
“It is extremely important for our players to be part of the Laurier community and city of Waterloo and it’s a way for our players to be involved with philanthropy and how we can give back to our school and our community,” he said
In addition, Stothers also commented on how the event not only went towards a great cause, but also was beneficial to their squad.
“When the boys come together and work towards a common goal or on a specific project it not only makes us better teammates, but strengthens our relationship with other faculty and students,” Stothers said.
In the third-consecutive year of their Movember fundraiser, the hockey team looks to break their previous total of money raised last year of $2,000 through the course of their campaign in 2011.
“This is just a small way we can give back to the Laurier community and represent what it means to be a Golden Hawk on and off the ice,” Stothers said of the Shave-Off event.
The shaving product company, Shick, also made an appearance at the Shave-Off as they gave out free samples and helped to raise awareness for prostate cancer.
A draw was also held to whoever stopped by the event to win a pair of tickets to a Kitchener Rangers game in their newly renovated arena.
Student Andrew Lyon who attended the event was entertained by the Shave-Off.
“It was enjoyed by everyone. My buddies and I thought it was well-done and fun, great cause to support so I was excited to see it go well,” he said.
The players were also making bets on which players will grow the best moustaches on the team during the campaign.
“My money would go on [James] Marsden to grow the biggest duster this year, although I wouldn’t count out Brett Vandenberg seeing how as how he started growing his in August,” said Van De Bospoort.
The Hawks look to improve their one ice record against the Carleton Ravens at home on Nov. 9, coming off a win against the RMC Paladins.
To donate to the Movember campaign, visit movember.com.