San Jose —This playoff season, Sharks fans can participate in the NHL Playoffs like never before. The Sharks Beard-a-thon is an opportunity for fans to grow their own playoff beard and raise money for charity. Proceeds from the 2010 Sharks Beard-a-thon will benefit The Sharks Foundation.

Participants in the Sharks Beard-a-thon will invite family, friends and business associates to pledge their playoff beards. By joining the Sharks Beard-a-thon, fans pledge to maintain their beard as long as the San Jose Sharks remains in the playoffs. Fans who are unwilling, or unable, to grow playoff beards, can also pledge their favorite San Jose Sharks player. For more information, or to enroll in the Sharks Beard-a-thon, please log onto www.beardathon.com/sharks.

"Everyone knows Sharks fans are the most loyal and dedicated fans in the NHL. Now they have a chance to put that enthusiasm towards helping a great cause," stated Laura Johnston, Sharks Foundation Manager.

About the Playoff Beard
A playoff beard is the superstitious practice of a National Hockey League player not shaving his beard during the Stanley Cup playoffs. The player stops shaving when his team enters the playoffs and does not shave until his team is eliminated or wins the Stanley Cup. It is believed that the tradition was started in the 1980s by the four-time Stanley Cup Champion New York Islanders. In recent years, other sports and other players have claimed the playoff beard tradition, but it is ultimately a hockey tradition, and always will be.

About the Sharks Foundation
The Sharks Foundation is dedicated to meeting the educational, social and cultural needs of our community. It offers unique resources and financial support to those organizations that enhance the lives of local youth in the areas of Education, Health & Safety and Character Development.

The San Jose Sharks are as deeply involved with the neighborhood we live in as we are with the game that we play. As role models, we feel responsible to give back to the community that so strongly supports us. To this end, the Sharks Foundation was created in 1994 and has since donated over $3.6 million in community support. In addition to the original grant program, the Sharks Foundation manages educational programs, hosts major fundraisers, executes pledge programs and implements community outreach events.