Penguins Fans Invited to Participate in a Playoff Tradition

Penguins Beard-A-Thon® presented by Supercuts to benefit the Mario Lemieux Foundation

PITTSBURGH — April 11, 2016 — The Penguins are encouraging fans to “grow one for the team” and participate in one of hockey’s most visible traditions – the playoff beard. The Penguins Beard-A-Thon® presented by Supercuts is an opportunity for fans to grow their own beard and raise money for charity.  Proceeds from the 2016 Penguins Beard-A-Thon will benefit the Mario Lemieux Foundation.

Participants in the Penguins Beard-A-Thon will invite family, friends and business associates to pledge their playoff beards.  By joining the Penguins Beard-A-Thon, fans pledge to maintain their beard as long as the Penguins remain in the playoffs.  Fans who are unwilling, or unable, to grow playoffs beards, can pledge other beard growers including Pittsburgh Penguins players Kris Letang, Phil Kessel, Nick Bonino and Bryan Rust.

At the conclusion of the playoffs, the top three fundraisers will be awarded prizes including pucks signed by the 2015-16 Pittsburgh Penguins team, autographed equipment, signed jerseys, haircuts for a year from Supercuts and more.

For more information, or to enroll in the Penguins Beard-A-Thon, visit beardathon.com/penguins.

Since the Beard-A-Thon campaign launched in 2009, hockey fans across North America have raised over $3.5 million for hockey related charities.  All donations to the Penguins Beard-A-Thon are tax deductible.

About the Mario Lemieux Foundation

The Mario Lemieux Foundation is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to raising funds for cancer research and patient care, as well as Austin’s Playroom Project, an initiative that creates playrooms for children and families in medical facilities.  Since 1998, the Lemieux Foundation has given over $20 million to cancer research and patient care initiatives in the Pittsburgh region and beyond.  Recent projects include a $2.5M gift in 2014 to establish the Mario Lemieux Lymphoma Center for Children and Young Adults at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC and a $3.5M gift to the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute to open the Mario Lemieux Center for Blood Cancers at the Hillman Cancer Center in 2012. Additionally, the Foundation has opened 29 Austin’s Playrooms in Western Pennsylvania as well as three military playrooms at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, MD, Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton in Camp Pendleton, CA and Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.  More information about the Mario Lemieux Foundation and Austin’s Playroom Project is available at mlf.docker.localhost.