I caught Kelly Chase on the baseball game last night promoting the upcoming game featuring NHL stars. They've got a charity auction on Thursday, May 5th. And the game featuring a rainbow of hockey stars on Friday the 6th at the Family Arena.
Keith Tkachuk, Brett Hull and many more will be puttin' on the skates to raise money for the 14 Fund. I'm glad these guys are jumping on this chance to do some good for others. The 14 Fund was established several years ago in memory of former Blue Doug Wickenheiser(his jersey number was 14) who died of a brain tumor. The Blues alumni group does great things with this charitable effort. I hope they pack the place.
What's going through my mind as this game approaches is how the current work stoppage is affecting the people who count on the industry for their livelihoods. (Yes, yours truly included)And I'm also thinking about the many St. Louis-area non-profit groups and charities that raise a good part of their budgets by helping out in the concession stands at Blues games. I'm thinking of the beer vendors, the musicians, the security people, the electricians, the stage hands, the restaurant workers, the bartenders, the ushers, the off-ice officials, the front office staff, ..well it goes on and on.
When is someone going to organize a game that will help defray the lost income and expenses of these people? These NHL players would score a big public relations goal if they would do a tour of all of the NHL cities and raise money for the people most affected by the work stoppage. Whatever money they raise could be divided equally among all bonified individuals and groups who can prove they have lost money during this NHL disaster. It might be a few hundred bucks. It might be two bucks. But the good will generated by the players...the owners obviously couldn't make such a game happen because they would have to ask the players for cooperation... would be enormous and everlasting.
Seems like something they should think about doing with all their spare time. And they might want to do it before hockey fans forget who they are.
1 comment:
Hi Tom; loved your work at WIBV, and hope that you'll be working Blues games again soon.
Regarding that 5/6/05 charity game: Months ago, Oiler Ryan Smyth headlined a similar exhibition, not in baseball-mad STL but in hockey-mad Edmonton. It drew about 800 people to a 20,000-seat arena. I notice that prices for the 5/6/05 exhibition here range from $10 upper deck to $50 for lower level. Lotsa luck to these players, especially with the Cardinals home tomorrow night. I fear they'll need it.
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