June, 2011 - Mitch Mann - "Let it Grow! Let it Grow! Let it Grow!"

Born of superstition and team unity, it has become tradition in recent years for NHL players to grow beards as long as their team is alive in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Even trimming one’s beard is highly frowned upon: no one wants to be the guy who jinxes his team, after all.

You can count die-hard Bruins fan Mitch Mann of Royal Cape Cod among the thousands of hockey fans have joined in putting the razors away to show support for their team’s playoff effort. Mitch knew exactly what he was going to do when the playoffs got underway.

“I let (Executive Director) Peter LeBrun know my appearance might get a little drastic, never thinking it would go this far,” grinned Mitch, a Restorative Aide and CNA at the Buzzards Bay facility.

The response from the residents in his care has been great, he says. And what about his girlfriend, Nadine Parmenter, who also works at Royal Cape Cod?

“She wasn’t too big on it at first,” says Mitch, “but now she’s really getting into the playoffs herself!"

The beard is more than a show of solidarity with his beloved Bruins, however; Mitch is also raising money for charity through an NHL-sponsored “Beard-a-thon” contest. For Bruins fans, proceeds support the Boston Bruins Foundation and One Mission, which funds care and research into children’s cancer. You can log on to www.beardathon.com/bruins to learn why Mitch and other fans have decided to lose their razors for awhile, and make a pledge in Mitch’s name.

Mitch, who’s been with the Royal Health Group for four years, grew up in a hockey family. His sister, Samantha, in fact, sports a bear claw tattoo with the Bruins’ spoked “B” in the center. Mitch is supporting the B’s his way.

With their first Stanley Cup since 1972 within reach, does he think he’ll jinx the Bruins if he shaves before the end of the season?

“Absolutely,” says Mitch.

Go Mitch! Go Bruins!