Well That Escalated Quickly

Holy Ice Bucket Challenge! Since my post one week ago when Campbell and Marchand were the only ones to take the challenge, it has spread like wildfire! Not only have most of the Bruins accepted the challenge, but also other NHL players and not to mention everyone and their mother on Facebook. 

The Ice Bucket Challenge is suppose to spread awareness about ALS, a neurodegenerative disease that impacts the brain and spinal chord, causing progressive paralysis. (Also known as Lou Gehrigs’s Disease). I know it seems foolish that all these people are dumping buckets of ice water on themselves, but Carl Hamilton, the Director of ALS Therapy Development Institute in Massachusetts, told the Boston Herald that they are already seeing a boost in donations and awareness. 10 times the number of online donations increase everyday. So ridiculous or not, this challenge is doing what it was created for.

Pete Frates, Beverley Mass resident, created the Ice Bucket Challenge with his family. The 29 year old has lived with ALS since 2012 and as an active member of the community he is always trying to spread awareness of this horrible disease.  From a small Massachusetts native to the entire NHL and even the city of stars, this challenge is making the rounds. Some people who have accepted the challenge are, Mayor Marty Walsh, Zdeno Chara, the star child Sidney Crosby, Lance Bass, Matt Lauer, and even Martha Stewart. Some people try to get creative with the challenge and there have been some pretty good ones, but by far my favorite has been Andrew Ference’s.

Check out this post from this highly ambitious Tumblr member!

Ice Bucket Count

For those wondering on which teams have done the most ice bucket drops heres the count

Goes- Team Name - people done / people challenged {this includes coaches, gm, owners, a few reporters}

Anaheim Ducks - 3/7

Arizona Coyotes - 8/10

Boston Bruins - 18/30

Buffalo Sabres - 0/3

Calgary Flames - 0/2

Carolina Hurricanes - 13/21

Chicago Blackhawks - 1/6

Colorado Avalanche - 8/13

Columbus Blue Jackets - 1/2

Dallas Stars - 16/25

Detroit Red Wings - 1/2

Edmonton Oilers - 3/7

Florida Panthers - 2/4

Los Angeles Kings - 0/1

Minnesota Wild - 1/2

Montreal Canadiens - 0/1

Nashville Predators - 2/8

New Jersey Devils - 0/2

New York Islanders - 3/6

New York Rangers - 3/8

Ottawa Senators -1/5

Philadelphia Flyers - 1/2

Pittsburgh Penguins - 19/27

San Jose Sharks - 5/9

St. Louis Blues - 2/7

Tampa Bay Lightning - 5/11

Toronto Maple Leafs - 2/6

Vancouver Canucks - 1/2

Washington Capitals - 0/2

Winnipeg Jets - 2/8

Free Agents - 0/5

That means every team has had at least 1 person nominated

143 NHL players or associates have done the challenge

246 players have been challenged

58% of the people challenged have done the challenge

It's not just the NHL that is getting involved either, the MLB, NFL, and other major sports teams are challenging fellow teammates and friends also! Marty Walsh held a community Ice Bucket Dumping and challenged New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago to get involved. 
Even country stars Cole Swindell, Dierks Bentley, and Lee Brice accepted the challenge. 

Luke Bryan has been challenged and we are all patiently waiting for his response.

Also for those who still think this challenge is dumb and pointless, take a gander at this...

So I say, bravo Pete Frates! The Ice Bucket Challenge, no matter how silly it may seem, is working! Now I'm going to go donate $100 to the ALS Association and I encourage everyone who reads this to educate yourselves and donate if you can! Have a lovely rest of your Monday everyone!