It’s that time of year again where we hockey fans jump in excitement; it is one of the most majestic traditions in all of sports and stirs up an age old question:
The New York Islanders are credited with starting the tradition during their championship winning years. Few players did it for themselves for their own reasons but it became a team tradition in the early 80s with the Isles. No one can recall why they did it but it was one of those things that brought upon team unity during a crucial period. Denis Potvin said “play four games in five nights in the first round and it was just something that kind of happened”. And so this kind of thing did happen and it continues to happen as the newer generation of players is taking up the tradition followed by their childhood heroes. The idea has even spread onto other sports like in the NBA and NFL, anything to bring you some luck.
And yet the question still must be answered, who had the best playoff beard of all time?
If you agree or disagree, leave your opinion in the comments! It’s a great debate! I know I missed a few guys but it’s what occurs when we are speaking of the best of all time.
The 2015 NHL Playoffs are only in its second round but I have already seen a fair share of quality playoff beards. I am not sure if anyone from this year can break this top 10 but I will be exploring the discussion in a future blog post, so stay tuned!
- Mark Lisica
4th Line Hockey
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