Feb. 26, 2011

by Michael Zuidema - mlive.com

It was a little disconcerting to see the defenseman without his flowing mane of hair after the Grand Rapids Griffins' 5-3 win against the Lake Erie Monsters at Van Andel Arena. But that was the idea.

Amadio had 10 inches of his hair trimmed and given to Locks of Love during the second intermission. He joined nine women on the ice, and together they donated more than 115 inches of hair to the charity that provides hairpieces to children suffering from illness.

"I felt a lot different in the third period, a lot lighter," Amadio said with a smile. "My head felt smaller."

It took Griffins coach Curt Fraser a little by surprise.

"Amadio cut all his hair off. I don't know what happened there," Fraser said with a laugh. "I looked at him one minute, he had hair down to his shoulders and now he's got none."

Amadio said he has been letting his hair go long since late June 2009, when he last had it cut for a friend's wedding.

"His wife requested that I cut it, so I went really short," he said. "I've been growing it ever since."

Amadio said the lengthy locks required plenty of maintenance, but he wanted to keep it growing as a tribute to a young fan he met while he was with the Hershey Bears.

"I met him and he was a special guy," Amadio said. "He was a big fan of ours, and I just thought it was the least I could do to show a little support for him and he showed to me."

It also helped that he was a fan of Locks of Love. He also appreciated the cheers he got from the crowd of 8,398.

"It worked out great tonight," Amadio said. "It was even better that we got the win."?