Today marks four weeks since I last shaved. If memory serves, this is the third longest I’ve grown my beard. The longest was from someday in October 2010 till January 1, 2012. The second longest was four months, for an online beard-growing community called Whiskerino.

Whiskerino was a great celebration of beards. On Nov. 1, 2009, 484 guys signed up at whiskerino.org and agreed to document the growth of their beards for 120 days. Shave early and you end up in the Hall of Shame. But post a great photo that everyone loves, and you earn the 24-hour honor of "King Beard." (I was crowned King Beard once, for the image at the right.) Over the course of the four months, I made several new friends and was inspired by some amazingly talented individuals—all because of beards. Unfortunately, the 2009-2010 edition of Whiskerino was also the last.

When I heard about the Predators Foundation Beard-a-thon presented by Philips Norelco, I knew I had to join up. As corny as it sounds, I’ve seen what effect beards can have in building a community. Like hockey or beer or music, it’s a commonality that people can congregate around. And impressive things are happening. Not only are there some fierce looking playoff beards showing up, but the combined Beard-a-Thon—all NHL teams—has raised over $350,000 for charity! The Predators currently rank sixth in the league, pulling in over $25,000 to benefit the Nashville Predators Pediatric Cancer Research Fund at Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt. And Predators’ director of corporate partnerships, Rock Upchurch, is ranked fifth overall with over $5,000 pledged. Let’s keep pushing these numbers higher. And don’t forget about the weekly contest among the Predators growers. Raise the most Predators Beard-a-Thon money in the seven-day period ending next Wednesday, May 9, and you’ll win an autographed Preds prize.

If you started growing your latest beard on April 7 when I did, the itch has passed and it’s clear sailing from here. For those who started more recently, be strong. And to those who remain clean-shaven, join the Predators team or pledge toward a Predators grower's beard today. Let’s see just how effective this community can be. All because of beards.