HOCKEY HELP TO NEW ORLEANS

I'm sure in the coming days, weeks and months we'll be seeing more and more stories like this one.

Hockey organizations in the Toronto area are mobilizing to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
..."We are supposed to be in hockey to help children and there are thousands of children in the U.S.A. Gulf coast who need our help."

Yes, indeed there are thousands and thousands that need our help. As the years go by the words of my Grandmother echo in my mind more and more, particularly during times like these.

When you die the only things you can take with you are those things that you gave away.

Which brings us to...
Charity: It's the sporting thing to do

At the roots, sports reach down into our childhoods and into the best of what makes us all tick, what draws us together at playing fields and in arenas.
It's a long way from the suburban rinks of Toronto to the devastation on the Gulf Coast of the United States. But when the leaders of kids' hockey organizations here pledge support for the survivors of Katrina, ...the world seems a little smaller, a touch kinder.,

So it was good to see the NHL and NHLPA step up to the plate and donate $1M for diaster relief. They also have plans for some other innovative fund raising plans.

...the League and the Players' Association will participate in a unique auction of game-worn Opening Night jerseys to further support the fund-raising endeavour.
For the first period of each team’s home opener, players will wear a jersey bearing a special patch confirming the Clubs' and players' commitment to the people and communities impacted. The jerseys will be collected and then auctioned by League auction partner Truition Inc., on NHL.com, all NHL member Club websites, and NHLPA.com.

Even the Stanley Cup is going to be doing it's part.

...the NHL has committed the Stanley Cup to a fund-raising tour of ECHL cities. Details of the tour, which will be coordinated with the ECHL to maximize opportunities in such franchise cities as Biloxi, Mississippi (Mississippi Sea Wolves), still are being formalized.

So now it's time that we the fans step up and do our part in these efforts. Remember, when you give your not only helping others... your helping yourself.