It’s Smell Ya Later

This has been the hardest situation I have ever had to put into words, but here it goes friends. As of March 1, 2021, the website you all came to know and love will close its virtual curtains, and retire its number, which hopefully has earned the respect of hanging in the rafters. Be it an effect from the pandemic, the game that is life, or a multitude of reasons, there simply is no one reason as to why this decision has arrived, but it is one that has been coming for a while.

I set up All Beard No Teeth with the idea to become an all-inclusive hockey community back in January 2017, starting as a Twitter page. A place where it does not matter which team you follow, where you come from, your race, I even had you covered if you didn’t have a beard! It was simply a safe place for all to talk about the game we love, hockey. The early success we had here friends, was something I could not have ever imagined. So many bought into the idea and kept the negativity outside of the infamous #Beardedfamily we created. Be it the original logo we had, the banter that existed, or you were in disbelief that a hockey fanatic lived in Ireland, I appreciated everything that occurred.

Bearded Family

The idea I had once I saw the growth that had occurred within the first six months was always to give back and give others an opportunity. I was fortunate to work alongside some absolutely fantastic and talented writers for the Hockey Writers, many of who I still call my friends. The biggest takeaway for me was that I got to not only work with but learn from the man, the myth, the absolute legend that is Dean Plunkett, with who I am forever grateful to have connected.

Then came the time for me to step away from THW as ABNT had grown to somewhere I had to give my full attention to and proceed with my dream. This was to create a free website for readers and to give a platform for aspiring writers to hone in on their passion for writing and build their portfolios. We started with a team of six, covering four leagues, and quickly expanded to a team of over 20 covering 11 leagues, which was just sensational to be able to provide you, the readers with.

We got to create the first All Beard No Teeth Hockey jersey with the awesome company that is Bring Hockey Back, plus run our own line of tee-shirts, including many that helped aid charities close to my heart. There are just so many milestones we not only achieved, we absolutely smashed, and it is all down to you, the bearded family. The good news is that the original home, the Twitter page will still remain active, however, both the Facebook and Instagram pages will also set off into the sunset. We are also into our second year of the ABNT fantasy hockey league, and that will continue as planned.

Thank You

I will never be able to thank all those that have either been a member of the team or a member of our community, but honestly, from the bottom of my beard, thank you, you mean the world to me. This was the hardest decision I have ever had to make, and while it is not the end, it is smell ya later. I will still be active on Twitter, and we will continue to have our beloved bearded family community active, where love, support, friendship, and tolerance of others are the absolute heart and soul of all we do.

A special mention goes out to the team, especially those we had at the end. We had Aaron, Adam, Austin, Bex, Caitlin, Danny, Jackie, James, Karl, Kyle, Mark, and Vorky.

I am so proud of what you all brought, how well you worked together, the passion and creativity you have for writing, and I know you all will continue to develop and expand on your knowledge. I look forward to seeing what you can do, and know that the bearded family will continue to support you in all you do.

For me, I will be back with my next venture soon, but I’m sure more information on that will come, once it’s available.

Stay safe, stay smart, and together we will beat this pandemic and return to a better form of normality.

Thank you again.

Whole lotta love,

Griffin