Lightning fan Anthony Pedicini raises more than $24,000 for Beard-a-Thon

When Thomas Pedicini was afflicted with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2003, his family’s lives changed forever. When the 21-year-old became cancer-free a year later, Thomas and his brother Anthony decided they wanted to help fight the disease any way they could.

Coinciding with the Pedicinis’ hometown Tampa Bay Lightning’s second straight trip to the Eastern Conference Final, the brothers are again raising money for cancer via the NHL’s Beard-A-Thon initiative.

The initiative pushes fans of Stanley Cup Playoff teams to grow beards and raise money for noteworthy causes each spring. The Pedicinis are raising money for the Tampa-based National Pediatric Cancer Foundation, and on his Beard-A-Thon page, Anthony said he is doing so “in honor of my brother and his victory against cancer.”

So far, Anthony has raised more than $24,000 in less than a month, the most of any individual in the initiative’s history.

“There are a lot of people afflicted with cancer,” Anthony told NHL.com. “We’re asking for money because no one likes to see kids go through any trial.”

Anthony collects money through the Beard-A-Thon website, but also has received cash from fans around Tampa and at games. At the suggestion of a local restaurant owner, Anthony was challenged to dye his beard blue when he hit the $20,000 mark, and he did so when that plateau was reached last …

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