Look good, do good: Hockey Players Union bracelets

On advice from now-Detroit Red Wing Mike Commodore via Twitter, I picked up one of these bracelets online from the Hockey Players Union:

Pretty cool idea...take a hockey skate lace, chop it into bracelet-sized pieces and attach a snappy button to seal it up.  It looks sharp - I have a white one - and is much more distinct than the legion of silicone bracelets that are out there.

Beyond that, there's the cause that's being served.  The Hockey Players Union says,

We have a goal to unite the entire hockey population and raise funds for underprivileged children wanting to play hockey by giving the profits from every product sold towards the cause.

Seriously, how can you argue with that? Hockey is an incredibly expensive sport to play, between equipment, ice rental and travel costs. Anything we can do to support kids who otherwise can't play is a good thing.

On the critical constructive side: This is a Canadian venture, so we're not necessarily supporting Central Ohio kids. In addition, the Hockey Players Union doesn't advertise itself as a non-profit entity (presuming that non-profits exist in Canada like they do in the USA), so it's worth wondering how much, if any, of the profits really get into kids' hands. Lastly, the bracelet cost me something like US$8.50 - again making you wonder how much this effort is really helping the cause.  It takes a lot of $8.50 bracelets to buy a few hundred dollars worth of hockey resources, you know...

Regardless, it's a cool looking bracelet. And I'm glad I bought one...betting that I'm helping some kids play the sport that I've grown to enjoy so much.  As the Hockey Players Union itself says on its website:

1 in 3 children can’t afford to play hockey, we can change that.

All children should have an opportunity to participate in the great game we all love.

Fair enough.