Aplayoff beard is the superstitious practice of male athletes not shaving their beards during playoffs. Playoff beards were introduced by ice hockey players participating in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and are now a tradition in many sports leagues. Many fans of professional sports teams also grow playoff beards. The player stops shaving when his team enters the playoffs and does not shave until his team is eliminated or wins the Stanley Cup (or equivalent championship).
The tradition was started in the early 1980s. Sometime in the early 1980's the New York Islanders decided to do so;[1] and according to Islander Mike Bossy, was likely started by teammate Butch Goring. The 1984–85 Detroit Red Wings were the first team documented to wear them. Wings forwards Ivan Boldirev and Danny Gare began the practice in Jan. 1985, trying to inspire the team to win four straight games. Defenseman Brad Park called it his "playoff beard" - thus coining the phrase.[2] The tradition is also practiced by nearly all North American hockey leagues, including high school leagues and the NCAA hockey teams, as well as minor league affiliates.[3] According to some observers, one may trim the beard after a loss in an effort to change the team's luck; Jim Dowd and Roberto Luongo are examples of players who did this.[4][5][6]
The 1980 Islanders were the first team documented to wear them. This included two Swedish players (Stefan Persson and Anders Kallur), so it is possible that tennis champion Björn Borg's custom of not shaving his beard during Wimbledon, which he had been doing for several years by that time, was an influence on the start of the practice in hockey.[7] Some players have said the beard is both a reminder of team unity and a way to get a player thinking about the playoffs from the moment he looks in the mirror in the morning.[8]The 1984–85 Detroit Red Wings also did it. Wings forwards Ivan Boldirev and Danny Gare began the practice in Jan. 1985, trying to inspire the team to win four straight games. Defenseman Brad Park called it his "playoff beard" - thus coining the phrase. (from the Detroit Free Press, Feb. 3, 1985 - article by Bernie Czarniecki). Hall of Famer Denis Potvin says that the Islanders of the 1980s would "play four games in five nights in the first round and it was just something that kind of happened."[8] The 2009 Red Wings used the slogan "The beard is back" for the final series of their 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs run. They played the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Stanley Cup Finals that year (won by Pittsburgh) in which most of the players of both teams (and the owner of the Penguins, Mario Lemieux) grew beards.
In 2009, the Beard-a-thon[9] campaign was launched to encourage fans to grow their own playoff beards for charity. In its first four years, more than 22,000 NHL fans participated in the "Beard-a-thon" and raised over two million dollars for charities.[10]
In June 2015, Mark Lazarus, chairman of NBC Sports (who is the U.S. rightsholder of the league), told the Chicago Tribune that he had been lobbying the NHL to discourage the practice, arguing that it hinders the ability for viewers to recognize players.[11]
In1993, Sheffield United's veteran striker Alan Cork did not shave during the club's four-month FA Cup run where they ultimately reached the semi-finals.[17]
The Boston Red Sox featured many players who grew beards during the team's 2013 season. "The beard-growing movement began in spring training with Mike Napoli and Jonny Gomes, and as the Red Sox kept winning — despite all predictions to the contrary — most of the team got on board with the beards."[21] By the beginning of the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals, only pitcher Koji Uehara was without facial hair. However, in the past, he did have a beard.[22] Fans all over joined the team in solidarity as good luck to win the 2013 World Series. On October 23, 2013, Business Insider posted pictures of the Red Sox players with and without their good luck charms.[23] An additional superstition for the team came during the season and post-season: when a player scores an especially important run, at the end of the game a tug would be given to this player's beard.[24]
In a variant of the playoff beard, the Dallas Mavericks stopped shaving during the 2012–13 regular season until the team reached a .500 winning percentage (achieved in mid-April).[26]
Starting in the late 1970s, five-time Wimbledon champion Björn Borg used to let his beard grow prior to that particular tournament. Referring to that custom, Sports Illustrated published an article about Borg shortly before the 1981 Wimbledon tournament titled, "The beard has begun."[27]
Male students at some universities in the United States, Canada, Sweden and New Zealand have also begun to sport an academic variation on the playoff beard - not shaving between the period when regular classes end and their final exam.[30]
During the 2010 playoffs, Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks chose to style his hair into a "playoff mullet" in addition to growing a playoff beard. He did it because of his struggles to grow a beard the year before.[32][33] He has continued this throughout his career including the Chicago Blackhawks' 2013 and 2015 Championships.
^Podnieks, Andrew. Hockey Superstitions: From Playoff Beards to Crossed Sticks and Lucky Socks, McClelland & Stewart Ltd., 2010, ISBN978-0-7710-7108-9, pp. 8-9.
