It’s the question every diehard NHL fan wants an answer to each season. Who’s going to win the Stanley Cup? Nah, who has the best whiskers, locks, goatee or mullet for their respective squad? Hockey play-off beards are a thing of folklore in North America, and for athletes covered in head-to-toe uniforms, the league’s players are surprisingly good at expressing themselves follicle-wise.
With that in mind, here’s a primer on who you need to watch this winter on the ice when it comes to all things hairy, shaggy and mane related.
San Jose Sharks
The California-based squad have reached a new level when it comes to amazingly unique hairstyles and beards. Not only do they boast burly mountain men Brent Burns and Joe Thorton, who both look like the Sasquatch’s long lost brother or a Duck Dynasty cast member, but now they’ve added Erik Karlsson. The dashing Swede has long been known for his quirky fashion and facial hair styles, a cross between a gunslinging cowboy and a metal band guitarist. With the trifecta now all suiting up for the Sharks, this team has whisker credentials to spare.
View this post on InstagramExcited to be part of the RW.CO family #RWco #onemanthreesuits #ambassador @rw_co @greystripes.ca
A post shared by Erik Karlsson (@erikkarlsson65) on Aug 28, 2018 at 2:25pm PDT
Connor McDavid
Last season’s leading scorer is only 21, but he surprised everyone by showing up to training camp for this year with some serious flow and a ginger tinged beard. The wonderkid has been known for his youthful, pimply looks, but he appears ready to throw out the clippers and let his locks fly free with the wind tunnel he creates by skating.
Here’s to him channelling some Edmonton Oilers’ legends like Wayne Gretzky, who sported an amazing mullet on top of being the greatest player to ever play the game.
View this post on InstagramThanks for the games EA! You can catch me on the couch tonight #NHL19 #EAathlete
A post shared by Connor Mcdavid (@mcdavid97) on Sep 17, 2018 at 3:35pm PDT
Patrik Laine
The Winnipeg Jets sniper went deep into the play-offs last year with his team, and grew an absolutely one of a kind dirty-man blonde beard to boot. Then he proceeded to shave it all off after the play-offs into a slick moustache. There appears to be no end in sight to the Finnish superstar’s hair game, who’s borderline albino appearance makes him half-Scandinavian viking and half-Macaulay Culkin’s bigger, older, tougher and nastier brother. Oh yeah, and he is missing pretty much all of his front teeth too.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Patrik Laine (@patriklaine) on Dec 29, 2017 at 12:24pm PST
William Karlsson
The Vegas Golden Knights centre burst onto the scene last year, more than tripling his regular season point totals with 78 in 82 games. Karlsson, who went unprotected by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the expansion draft for the Knights, obviously took the snub personally. His luscious blonde locks and accompanying beard make him look like a European underwear model, and his flow is probably only second to the Canucks’ Brock Boeser when it comes to league wide prowess.
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Sidney Crosby
While he can barely sprout an ample amount of stubble, you cannot fault Sid the Kid for trying. Last year his play-off beard inched into the respectable category. However, he still looked like a homeless panhandler with his scruffy fur patchwork. But as the superstar ages, now 31, he has exhibited a level of maturity on the ice, continually working on parts of his game that were slightly less than perfect.
Now all he needs is a fulsome beard come play-off time (given the Penguins are pretty much always around come April) to completely round out his NHL poster boy image.
Honourable mentions: Gritty, the Philadelphia Flyers’ new mascot and Jaromir Jagr
When Gritty was announced before the start of the season, social media took him to town, calling him everything from an “acid trip mascot” to “absolutely freakin’ horrifying”. No matter your stance on the orange beast who looks like a Muppet with a drug problem, he is the talk of the NHL right now. We hope his moment in the sun stays around, because his apricot beard and hair are a legitimate thing of beauty.
Speaking of things of beauty, it looks as though Jaromir Jagr’s NHL career is finally done (he has signed with his hometown team in the Czech Republic), but it’s still worth giving one last mention to his late career mullet. Here’s hoping he rides off into the sunset on a motorbike with no helmet, during a windy day as ’80s hair metal music blasts in the background.
View this post on InstagramOslava 100 let českého( slovenského ) sportu #jagr68 #prazskyhrad #ceskysport #hokej
A post shared by Jaromír Jágr (@jj68jaromirjagr) on Sep 28, 2018 at 1:56pm PDT
