Playoff beards have long been a yearly custom among superstitious NHL players. As soon as the postseason hits, skaters will put down the razors and let their facial hair grow in the hopes that it will symbolize long-lasting team success.
But where did this decades-old tradition originate, and what has made it catch fire across the entire league? It all began 45 years ago, and has shown no sign of slowing down.
New York Islanders dynasty team creates a new annual routine
Back in the early 1980s, the New York Islanders were the face of the NHL. The team won an NHL-record 19 consecutive playoff series en route to four straight Stanley Cup championships, and a curious tradition was born along the way: the playoff beard.
But the Isles may have actually gotten inspiration to start the routine from a tennis star. New York had two Swedish skaters on the roster, Anders Kallur and Stefan Persson. Their fellow countryman Bjorn Borg was a tennis champion who famously refrained from shaving during major tournaments, possibly giving Kallur and Persson the idea to borrow the tradition.
Others believe that defenseman Ken Morrow was the first Islanders player to introduce the idea of a playoff beard, thanks to the luscious facial hair he sported when he first came to New York. Stan Fischler reported that, when Morrow joined the Isles after winning the gold medal with Team USA in 1980, he already had a thick beard which inspired teammates like Denis Potvin and Butch Goring to follow suit.
"We started it (after Morrow) and, frankly, my mother was not too crazy about it. In fact, she told me, 'You'd better win another Cup because I hate that beard.'"Islanders captain Denis Potvin (nhl.com)
Whether it was borrowed from Bjorn Borg or born organically by Morrow and co., one thing is certain: the tradition lives on to this day. The majority of NHL players choose to refrain from shaving each postseason with the goal of bringing good luck to their team.
There have been some unique spins on the idea over the years. Back in 2010, a young Patrick Kane struggled to grow significant facial hair so he chose instead to rock a playoff mullet, growing out his hair and shaving a few lines into the side of his head. The Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup that season, sparking Kane to reintroduce the haircut for his club's 2013 and 2015 championships as well.
Some skaters from the 2012 New Jersey Devils team had another distinctive twist to the playoff beard. When the team went down 3-0 in the Stanley Cup Final to the Los Angeles Kings, then-rookie Adam Henrique decided to shave most of his face, leaving a thick mustache in its place. The hope was that it would change the team's luck, and it did for the next two games, but ultimately the Kings would win the Cup in Game 6.
The University of Alberta writes that the concept of the playoff beard lives on thanks to "success-biased transmission" -- the idea that because the Islanders won four championships while participating in the tradition, it made other teams believe that they too could have the same success if they just grew out their facial hair.
The 1980s Islanders are cemented in the NHL record books for their impressive on-ice accomplishments, but the team has also left a lasting cultural impact on the game thanks to the curious decision to put the razors away for the postseason.
