NCAA Hockey Officials Movember Team Page
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Fans who have been paying close attention to players and officials during National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) games this month may have noticed more facial hair than normal whizzing around the ice in November. The extra scruff is not a matter of laziness though, or a new look sweeping the nation, there is a function for the fuzz – Movember.
During Movember, which occurs annually each November, men around the world grow moustaches (and beards) to help raise awareness and money for prostate and testicular cancer, as well as other men’s health issues. TJ Likens, an NCHC linesman, is leading the cause for, not just NCHC officials, but all NCAA officials during Movember. His bushy moustache is already proudly displayed above his upper lip while he also set up the NCAA hockey officials’ team account to raise money. Fans can donate to the NCAA Officials’ Movember page here.
Just by growing his “Mo” (moustache), Likens has seen how he, and others, can help raise awareness for Movember and men’s health issues.
“You walk into the rink and people wonder why you have a moustache,” Likens said. “I walked into a convenience store the other day and the old lady at the counter asked ‘Do you always have a moustache?’ I said ‘No, this is why. For the exact reason, you just asked me about it’.”
One of Likens’ goals of the project is to get more officials to participate, as the more men sporting ‘staches, the more awareness they’ll raise. His other goal is to raise more money for the cause. He felt that with NCAA hockey officials united, rather than divided by conference, the group could make a greater impact.
“Certainly in the future, if every conference wants to do their own that is awesome. I knew that I was not going to be able to manage three different sites. It didn’t make sense to me at all (to do separate teams),” Likens said. “As a community of officials, regardless of conference affiliation, the goal was to get all off the officials across the board to come together, to push together.”
This year is the second year Likens has been a team leader during Movember, starting last year when he was working in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) and created a CCHA officials team page. He first got involved a few years ago when a friend of his from the hockey community knew someone who suffered from prostate cancer. Likens then attended a friend’s wedding this summer and had his eyes opened to the cause even more.
“Over the summer I went to a former official’s wedding and at the wedding they handed out prostate cancer awareness bracelets to all the guests. It was the first time I was made aware that his father died of prostate cancer. It brought a whole new level of ‘okay, yeah this is a good cause and a good thing for us to do as a group’,” Likens said. “This (cancer) really does affect people I know and could possibly affect somebody I know or myself at some point. I wanted to continue (the cause) and even push for or take the lead and grow this in our officiating”
While the issues surrounding Movember are very serious, the officials do find a way to have some fun with it. Though they don’t necessarily compare ‘staches or see who can grow the best “Mo,” the officials do charge “fines” to each other to raise money for the cause, while also getting to poke some fun at each other.
“If you fall down or block a shot during a game you have to donate $20. Stay on your feet or you are making a donation,” Likens explained of the referees’ fine system. “It was a good way to bring it to the game. I would get phone calls, ‘So and so went down tonight. Make sure they donate’.”
He also added that some referees donate an entire game check to their Movember team.
The officials aren’t the only people on the ice sporting the ‘stache however. Several NCHC teams have also gotten in the spirit with players growing moustaches and facial hair during Movember, while some even created a team page. Although players and referees don’t always agree on every call, they can agree on Movember with players and officials even trading compliments on their lip sweaters during games.
“There are so many teams that are doing it now. Guys come up to you and say ‘Nice duster’ or ‘Nice stash’,” Likens said. “The players relay it to the officials and the officials tell it to the players.”
Since Movember began in Australia in 2003, it has taken off with 21 countries participating this year to help raise money and awareness. The hockey community has especially embraced Movember in the U.S. and Canada and made it subcultural, more so than other men’s sports.
“A lot of the NHL guys are doing it. I think a lot of it has to do with how it is publicized by the NHL and what they are doing on their website,” Likens theorized. “Players at that level are doing their own YouTube videos. Starting top down has helped gain awareness where other sports are not doing that.”
In his first year in charge of a Movember team, Likens helped raise $2,000 for men’s health issues. This year he hopes to make an even bigger impact, though he admits last year was better because he started a new job (aside from officiating) this year and was late getting the Movember message out to the other officials around the country. But whether he raises more money than his first go-round, just growing his moustache has already turned some heads. And with many people around hockey rinks sporting the ‘stache in November, the Movember cause will, like facial hair, only continue to grow.
--NCHCHockey--
On Friday, the NCHC will show off some of the top moustaches from players around the conference on both NCHCHockey.com and on the NCHC’s Twitter and Facebook pages. Be sure to check in Friday to vote who has the best ‘stache in the NCHC.