A Potentially Unpopular Opinion: I've Grown Tired of Playoff Beards

[Howie Hodge]

Yep; Flett was the first I remember.

Second was actually Montreal farmhand (Nova Scotia) Sean Shanahan..... I'm guessing around 1973....

Seen here around 1977 with The Bruins..

Flett has the face for a beard....

 

[The Panther]

It's fascinating how most baby boomers hate beards.I'm obviously painting with a broad brush here, but the trend is real.

Beards are fashionable in society at large today, so it's not a NHL playoffs thing anymore.

I hear ya.

My Dad is an exception for sure, though. Grew a beard in 1971 after his wedding (aged 20!) and has never shaved it off since...

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

Lemieux, Shanahan, and Sakic all had facial hair in the 1997 playoffs. Shanahan had a pretty good beard going back then.

Shanahan had a disgusting goatee. That thing was the worst he looked like such a scumbag.

 

[sr edler]

Beards are okay if they are thick (Paul Mara) or a bit out there (Laine).

No one wants to see Crosby, Toews or Dustin Brown in a beard, because they can’t grow one to save their lives. They just look homeless or heartbroken from a high school sweetheart break-up. And those are 8 of the last 10 Cup winners. So of course people grow tired of it. Chara’s beard was okay.

I have no problem with Ovi’s grey old papa beard this year because a) it’s decently thick, and b) it tells a moral story of his long and winding road to the SC finals and how everything in life doesn’t come for free/isn’t given to you on a silver plate.

 

[ICM1970]

Check out the only mustachioed player on the 1949 Stanley Cup Champion Leafs, Garth Boesch.

 

[Flamer12]

I agree with you in that it looks ridiculous. However, it has become a tradition of sorts and I love traditions so I say keep the beards.

 

[Killion]

Check out the only mustachioed player on the 1949 Stanley Cup Champion Leafs, Garth Boesch.

Indeed. Apparently grew that mustache at 18 as a member of the Nore Dame Hounds, and something very definitely frowned upon by the NHL, the Brooklyn Americans in his case who initially held his rights, GM Red Dutton singularly unimpressed with it. Very interesting player in that he didnt play play in the NHL for very long, just 4 seasons for the Leafs winning 3 Cups, 2X All Star, Stay-At-Home Defenceman who did in fact..... return home early... to the farm in Saskatchewan in 1950 upon the death of his father. Married with kids, decided that & the farm more important than continuing his career.

Given that he was only 30, couldve very likely played, lasted at least another 5 years, possibly longer. He was partnered with Bill Barilko on the Blue Line, part of Smythes "Youth Movement" following the War (Boesch serving in the Air Force) and concocted with Bashin Billy their own patented defensive move & system called The Maginot Line Knee Drop, whereby simultaneously theyd both drop to one knee in blocking rushing forwards, creating a sort of "wall" if you will... A lot of great players have come out of Saskatchewan. Eddie Shore, the Metz brothers, Ken Doraty, Chuck Rayner & Johnny Bower, Gordie Howe, Clark Gillies & Bernie Federko etc...

Short video, photo's & bio here.......... www.sasksportshalloffame.com/inductees/garth-boesch/

 

[Cursed Lemon]

I'm all for tradition, but I swear 75% of players today are disgracing that tradition by not being able to grow one worth a damn.

I can't grow a beard. I'll look like Crosby. So I don't.

 

[Killion]

I'm all for tradition, but I swear 75% of players today are disgracing that tradition by not being able to grow one worth a damn.

I can't grow a beard. I'll look like Crosby. So I don't.

... I dont know that your missing much. On some guys they look great & others no, not so much... and they do require a fair amount of maintenance depending on the style of course. Eating & drinking can be problematical if you got like a Lanny McDonald ~ Yosemite Sam type dealeo going on.

 

[Newsworthy]

Completely agree. Not a fan of beards

 

[nnynetpotato]

Had one in my late teens.My wife dared me to grow one for Movember.I kept it for a week.It was already full,so I'd have an awesome playoff beard.
Itches like a SOB,tho...

 

[quoipourquoi]

I know everyone talks about curses based on touching the Wales Trophy or Campbell Bowl, but do we have statistics on bearded captains or bearded Conn Smythe winners?

 

[Troubadour]

I have no problem with Ovi’s grey old papa beard this year because a) it’s decently thick, and b) it tells a moral story of his long and winding road to the SC finals and how everything in life doesn’t come for free/isn’t given to you on a silver plate.

He had a late surge in density. Not too long ago, his "beard" looked pretty close to Sid's, and something tells me even Daver would agree for once

 

[Rebels57]

Joe Thornton ruined beards for everyone.

 

[Rebels57]

IIRC, for the 97, 98 and 2002 Red Wings, it was more "playoff goatees" grown by guys like Shanahan, Osgood, Kocur, McCarty, Draper, Maltby, Holmstrom, Ward, Brown and maybe a few others. Lidstrom jumped on the band wagon in 2002 along with guys like Duchesne and Olausson. The more traditional exception was Jamie Macoun, who in 1998 went from a standard mustache in the regular season to having his face covered 70% by hair in the playoffs.

In relation to the Wings Cup runs and playoff beards, I remember some local news coverage during the 1998 run where they were talking to Shanahan about playoff beards and he made some joke about Larry Murphy being so old he was growing playoff ear hair...

Lindros had a pretty badass playoff goatee too in 97.

 

[iamjs]

Just like the canned music and dumb sound effects and the suits of armour, the playoff beards have become more of the cliched nonsense of the Bettman era of the game.

Oh stop, this is a terrible take. Beards were gonna end up in the league, regardless of who was in charge.

Let's look at baseball: Brian Wilson kicked off the trend in 2010, give or take a year. After that, you had the Red Sox in 2013 or 2014 all growing beards. After that, all hell broke loose.

Basketball: James Harden was growing his as early as 2009, although it wasn't as thick as it is right now.

Football: without even looking up a top 10 list, I'll just mention Brett Keisel who grew his, shaved his, and regrew his every year, going from this:

to this, annually.

(OK, I cheated after I posted this, and Keisel started this after the 2010 season.)

In fact, I'll even go one step further and say the NHL was late to the full time beard game. The "full time" long beards in the NHL really didn't kick in 2015 with Brent Burns and Jumbo Joe.

 

[Hockeyholic]

Lemieux, Shanahan, and Sakic all had facial hair in the 1997 playoffs. Shanahan had a pretty good beard going back then.

Lemieux and Sakic never really had beards per say though.

 

[The Panther]

This is about the beardiest Gretzky ever got:

As for bearded Phil Kessel...

...he reminds me of Manchester, UK's Damon Gough (aka: Badly Drawn Boy):

 

[Troubadour]

This is about the beardiest Gretzky ever got:

Wow, I have completely forgotten the old Wayne let the hair down like that (albeit we're in a beard thread).

 

[Killion]

Wow, I have completely forgotten the old Wayne let the hair down like that (albeit we're in a beard thread).

Thats was a good look on him dont you think Troubadour?

 

[Jumptheshark]

my problem is so many players wear beard in the regular season

 

[Troubadour]

Thats was a good look on him dont you think Troubadour?

Ehm... Yes

 

[Torspo21]

They could be a little more creative with their beard styles =>

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

I think it's become kind of a meaningless thing once it became a millennial hipster fashion thing to try to look like a lumberjack or something.

 

[The Panther]

I think it's become kind of a meaningless thing once it became a millennial hipster fashion thing to try to look like a lumberjack or something.

Man... I've spent much of my adult life overseas, but it really struck me in 2010 when I was in Canada (Vancouver) for a year or two, and every young (heterosexual, anyway) dude at UBC was a post-millennial hipster trying to look like a lumberjack.