Bruins, Toucher & Rich Get Buzz Cuts To Raise $101K For Kids Battling Cancer
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Bruins will continue their quest of a playoff spot with a lot less hair atop their heads.
Boston players got a haircut for a great cause on Monday at the 10th annual "Cuts For A Cause," put on by the Bruins and 98.5 The Sports Hub's Toucher & Rich. The event raised $101,000 this year, with all proceeds heading to the Boston Bruins Foundation and Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center.
Lucky fans who made generous bids got a chance to play barber for their favorite players, with a special VIP meet and greet beforehand. Many of those winning bidders passed along their barber duties to children at the Floating Hospital. Hundreds of other fans and listeners packed the House of Blues in Boston to watch all the fun, with Toucher & Rich emceeing the event.
"It means a lot. It's one of those events that is really easy to accept and take part in. It's been going on for 10 years which is amazing," said Patrice Bergeron, who has played host of the event the last two years. "I'm happy this event is still going on."
"It's great. To do a simple thing like shaving your head and raising that kind of money, it's incredible," said Brad Marchand. "It's something we all love to do and be a part of. It's such a simple thing, and it can change lives."
"There is no one like hockey players when it comes to stuff like this," said Rich Shertenlieb. "They bring the kids on stage, they play around with them, and even the players who aren't shaving their heads are donating a lot of money. It's raised over $[700,000] over the years, and that's a lot due to the listeners.
"It's a good bit of karma going into the playoffs," Rich added.
"It's an awesome event," said newcomer David Backes. "We made an event out of cutting your hair. That's a unique event, but for a great cause."
Backes called his new cut "air conditioning for the playoffs."
Rich and Jon Wallach both received their own "cuts" at the event, while the Felger & Mazz crew also participated back at the 98.5 The Sports Hub studios in Brighton.
WATCH: Felger & James Stewart Get Their Cut | Mazz & Jim Murray Get Their Cuts
Bruins forwards David Pastrnak and Ryan Spooner intended to shave someone else's head on Monday, but Marchand wasn't going to allow that.
"I remember being a young guy and we didn't have that choice. So they don't have that choice," Marchand said on stage.
So Pastrnak and Spooner were auctioned off as a pair and went for $3,000, with Fred Toucher responsible for the winning bid. The host handed off the honors to a boy in the crowd.
Spooner took the change of plans in stride, but Pastrnak still wasn't feeling a haircut. That was until Tim Schaller managed to shave off a few locks while Pastrnak gave a winning bidder their trim.
"Cuts For A Cause" has now raised over $700,000 since it began back in 2008 with then-Bruins defenseman Aaron Ward leading the way (only seven members of the team participated in the inaugural year, which was held in the basement of the studio). That torch was passed down to Shawn Thornton in 2010 before Patrice Bergeron took over two years ago.
