Surrey Eagles broadcaster Joey Pitt is just days from his first haircut in 33 months, and the clippers will come out for a good cause this Sunday afternoon (March 19) at South Surrey Arena.
In a fundraiser for Wigs for Kids, Pitt will finally have his “hockey hair” snipped during the second intermission of a BCHL game between the Eagles and Victoria Grizzlies, 4 p.m. puck drop.
All season, the play caller’s massive mullet has been the talk of the hockey league on social media.
“We’re gonna bring a carpet and a chair out to centre ice,” Pitt says. “I’ll be joined by my two barbers and the Wigs For Kids rep, I’ll say a quick few words, we’ll cut all the tails and then get the Zamboni out.”
If time allows, “we might be able to do the shave as well,” he added.
An online fundraising page is collecting donations with a goal of raising $15,000.
• RELATED: Now THAT’S hockey hair: Surrey Eagles broadcaster grows massive mullet to make wig for kids.
Just got my tickets for the @SurreyEagles this Sunday – cannot wait to welcome @_JoeyPitt to the “Brotherhood of Bald Men” https://t.co/RJBCtn9VNw
— Dan Machholz (@DanMachholz) March 14, 2023
Pitt’s season-long fundraiser is inspired by a close friend lost to cancer.
“The last time I got a sizable haircut was when I was still living in the Okanagan and I got a job selling cars,” Pitt said last November. “I had a good mullet going at the time but I figured it was time to look professional and I cut it off then, in June of 2020. Since then it’s just been straight growth.”
The year before, Pitt’s buddy was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
“I joked with him, ‘Hey Avery, I’m going to grow my hair out and then shave it off and make a wig for you.’ He got a kick out of it, and all our friends, plus if I ever did it, it would be really nice, you know.”
This hockey season he’s done that “nice” thing and grew his hair to make a wig for a kid going through cancer treatments.
The hairy fundraiser is close to Pitt’s heart, as Avery died last summer, around the time he was hired by the Eagles to call their games.
This week the team is looking to bounce back from a pair of weekend losses in the Kootenays. The Eagles were blanked 6-0 in Cranbrook Friday (March 10) before losing 6-3 in Trail Saturday, when Ante Zlomislic, Trent Wilson and Aaron Schwartz scored for the visitors.
The Eagles now play three games in three days, starting Friday (March 17) at South Surrey Arena against Alberni Valley, then Saturday night in Langley and Sunday afternoon at home to Victoria.
Beyond that, just two regular-season games remain for the Eagles, still second in Coastal conference standings with 65 points, five ahead of Alberni Valley and eight behind Nanaimo (as of Tuesday). Playoffs will start by the first week of April, possibly late-March.
tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com
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