Photo Friday: Plymouth Whalers' "Pink Out!" nets over $18,000 for Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute

The Plymouth Whalers were certainly in the pink when we saw them earn a 4-1 victory over cross-river rivals Windsor Spitfires earlier this month, but the players hope their pink jerseys and pink 'dos contribute to victory against a much bigger foe.

The third annual Pink Out! game raised over $18,000 to benefit the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute and raise breast cancer awareness in metro Detroit. That's serious cash, but these games are also great fun for the players and fans.

The fun started prior to this year's October 16 Pink Out! game for Twitter followers of @PWhalers, who posted a series of updates and links to pictures as the players visited a local salon for their new pink hairdos. Several Whalers sported Mohawks dyed a bright shade of pink, and most observers agreed that player Austin Levi's pink Mohawk shaved into the shape of a breast cancer awareness ribbon was among the best of an amazing array of blindingly pink styles.

Whalers' mascot Shooter joins in the fun with a pink hat

Scott Wedgewood took over in goal from Shooter as the game began

Coach Mike Vellucci and Associate Coach Joe Stefan encouraged the team efforts to raise money by agreeing to dye their own hair pink if the team raised $10,000 before the game. Former Whalers players like David Legwand (Nashville), Chad LaRose (Carolina), James Neal (Dallas), Jared Boll (Columbus) and James Wisniewski (New York Islanders) now playing with National Hockey League teams boosted current Whalers' efforts with their own donations.

A crowd of 3,127 fans arrived at the arena on game day to find the pink-haired players wearing specially designed pink-and-black hockey jerseys and Coaches Vellucci and Stefan behind the bench with their own newly dyed locks (although Vellucci's hair looked more purple than pink to me!).

A series of pre-game fundraisers and game-day activities like a silent auction for the players' game-worn jerseys and a 50/50 auction augmented money raised from ticket sale proceeds to push the total raised over the $18,000 mark.

Defenseman Max Iafrate in action

The Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Center holds a special place in the heart of the Whalers' organization and team owner Peter Karmanos.

Peter Karmanos' first wife died after a battle with cancer in 1989. In 1995, he donated $15 million to a coalition of Detroit-area cancer centers and foundations to fund cancer research, patient care, and education. He declined the offer to put his name on the new cancer center, but finally relented to allow it to bear Barbara Ann's name.

The Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Center is the only one of the nearly 40 major cancer centers in the United States named for a woman.

Wedgewood makes another stop in goal!

The weekend after the Pink Out! game the Whalers were back in regular jerseys, a few fans showed up wearing pink jerseys they won at auction, and there were few signs of the temporary color used to create those sporty pink hairdos. But I'm sure the team and their fans already look forward to next year's Pink Out! game.

A little discussion at the end of the game

Whalers' games are a great family-friendly alternative for hockey fans visiting southeastern Michigan and seeking great hockey action at an affordable price. Check out the Plymouth Whalers' site for schedule and ticket information.

Thanks to Debbie Dubrow of Delicious Baby for creating and coordinating Photo Friday to link travel photos and blog posts across the Web.