VANCOUVER – Athletes and charities go together like Hall and Oates. Sadly, the thought behind the fundraising initiative is usually just as dated as the 1980s pop duo.
Well, now for something as stupid and wonderful as owning a pet elephant. Something as outlandish as Nicolae Ceausescu, the Romanian dictator who was rumoured to have people walk in front of him painting the leaves on trees green — in the fall.
That’s right, Vancouver Canucks winger Mikael Samuelsson is ditching the tried-and-true golf tournaments, softball games and signed jerseys and rewriting all the rules. The 33-year-old is auctioning off an all-expenses-paid trip for two to Vancouver — including a pair of tickets to two home games and access to the team’s locker-room — with the proceeds going to support minor hockey in his hometown of Mariefred, Sweden.