Playoff beard

2025-11-01T18:51:21Z

2A00:23C5:FE1C:3701:1433:CC19:2C0C:85B8: a "playoff beard" is a type of beard, not a practice. a beard cannot be a practice. thus rephrase.

{{Short description|Superstitious practice originating in ice hockey}}
{{use American English |date=November 2020}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
[[File:Darren McCarty with the Stanley Cup - 2002.jpg|thumb|right|A bearded [[Darren McCarty]] hoisting the [[Stanley Cup]] with the [[Detroit Red Wings]] in 2008.]]
A '''playoff beard''' is the beard [[superstitious]]ly retained by a male athlete who does not shave 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 1980s the [[New York Islanders]] decided to do so;<ref name="Islanders">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.thehockeynews.com/en/news/news.asp?idNews=20877|title=Wooly Bullies|access-date=May 4, 2007|magazine=The Hockey News|date=May 2, 2006|author=Ryan Kennedy}} {{dead link|date=September 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news |work=Detroit Free Press |date=February 3, 1985 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/99898700/ |first=Bernie |last=Czarniecki |title=Whiskery Wings not a Total Hit }}</ref> The tradition is also practiced by nearly all North American hockey leagues, including high school leagues and the [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]] hockey teams, as well as minor league affiliates.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.adn.com/sports/aces/story/8835548p-8736157c.html|title=Assessing the Aces playoff beard efforts|access-date=May 4, 2007|newspaper=Anchorage Daily News|date=April 28, 2007|author=Doyle Woody}} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> According to some observers, one may trim the beard after a loss in an effort to change the team's luck; [[Jim Dowd (ice hockey)|Jim Dowd]] and [[Roberto Luongo]] are examples of players who did this.<ref name="Dowd">{{cite news|url=http://www.nj.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/sports-0/1177824755317660.xml&coll=1|title=Ottawa watches chance slip by|access-date=May 4, 2007|newspaper=Star Ledger|date=April 29, 2007|author=Rich Chere & Bridget Wentworth}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.chicagobreakingsports.com/2010/05/roberto-luongo-shaves-playoff-beard.html|title=Assessing the Aces playoff beard efforts|access-date=July 12, 2010|publisher=Tribune News Services|date=May 8, 2010|author=Chicago Breaking Sports}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nhregister.com/news/article/NEW-HAVEN-200-New-Haven-s-Don-Luzzi-a-CFL-Hall-11460710.php |title=NEW HAVEN 200: New Haven's Don Luzzi a CFL Hall of Famer and possible playoff beard pioneer |first=Chip |last=Malafronte |work=[[New Haven Register]] |date=November 18, 2012 }}</ref>

==History==
The 1980 Islanders were the first team documented to wear them. This included two Swedish players ([[Stefan Persson (ice hockey)|Stefan Persson]] and [[Anders Kallur]]), so it is possible that tennis champion [[Björn Borg]]'s custom of not shaving his beard during [[The Championships, Wimbledon|Wimbledon]], which he had been doing for several years by that time, was an influence on the start of the practice in hockey.<ref>Podnieks, Andrew. ''Hockey Superstitions: From Playoff Beards to Crossed Sticks and Lucky Socks'', McClelland & Stewart Ltd., 2010, {{ISBN|978-0-7710-7108-9}}, pp. 8-9.</ref> 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.<ref name="Ian Walker, Montreal Gazette"/> 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, February 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."<ref name="Ian Walker, Montreal Gazette">{{cite web|url=https://montrealgazette.com/life/playoff+beard+mystique/4605298/story.html|title=The Playoff Beard Mystique|date=April 13, 2011|author=Ian Walker, Montreal Gazette}} {{dead link|date=March 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> 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<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.beardathon.com/|title=Beard-A-Thon|date=April 11, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090411165940/http://www.beardathon.com/|access-date=December 5, 2021|archive-date=April 11, 2009}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=668328|title=BEARD-A-THON is back: Fans called to grow beard|date=April 29, 2013|work=NHL.com}}</ref>

In June 2015, [[Mark Lazarus (businessman)|Mark Lazarus]], chairman of [[NBC Sports]] (who is the U.S. [[NHL on NBC|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.<ref name=tribune-beards>{{cite news|author=Ed Sherman|date=June 9, 2015|title=NBC Sports boss: Shave the hockey playoff beards|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/hockey/blackhawks/ct-hockey-playoff-beards-complaint-20150609-story.html|access-date=June 9, 2015|work=Chicago Tribune|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150610050051/http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/hockey/blackhawks/ct-hockey-playoff-beards-complaint-20150609-story.html|archive-date=June 10, 2015}}</ref>

==Other sports==
The playoff beard has expanded into [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB), the [[Canadian Football League]] (CFL), the [[National Football League]] (NFL) and, to a lesser extent, the [[National Basketball Association]] (NBA).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/The-Los-Angeles-Lakers-are-growing-playoff-beard?urn=nba,235103|title=The Los Angeles Lakers are growing playoff beards|date=April 19, 2010|author=Trey Kerby|website=Sports.yahoo.com}}</ref> The practice generally resembles that of ice hockey, in that players do not shave until they either win a championship or are eliminated.

===American football===
* [[National Football League]] (NFL) players who have grown playoff beards include [[Chicago Bears]] [[quarterback]] (QB) [[Mitchell Trubisky]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/mitchell-trubisky-bears-quarterbacks-beards-chase-daniel-matt-nagy/31243/ |title= Mitchell Trubisky, Bears Quarterbacks Growing Out Beards for Stretch Run |date=December 20, 2018 |last=Neveau|first=James|website=NBC Chicago|language=en|access-date=March 27, 2019}}</ref> [[Seattle Seahawks]] [[quarterback]] (QB) [[Russell Wilson]],<ref>{{cite news|last=Payne|first=Marissa|title=Michael Bennett, Richard Sherman and Marshawn Lynch put on for Super Bowl Media Day|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2015/01/27/super-bowl-media-day-seattle-seahawks-get-ready-to-take-the-stage/|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=January 27, 2015|access-date=October 12, 2015}}</ref> [[Pittsburgh Steelers]] QB [[Ben Roethlisberger]] and [[defensive end]] (DE) [[Brett Keisel]], [[New England Patriots]] [[wide receiver]] (WR) [[Julian Edelman]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Julian Edelman, Tom Brady working overtime to re-establish connection|url=https://www.espn.com/blog/boston/new-england-patriots/post/_/id/4775726/julian-edelman-tom-brady-working-overtime-to-re-establish-connection|publisher=[[ESPN]]|author=Mike Reiss|date=January 7, 2015|access-date=November 11, 2015}}</ref> and former [[Denver Broncos]] QB [[Jake Plummer]].<ref name="PlummerRoethlisberger">{{cite news|url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/01/18/sports/BEARDS.php|title=Quarterbacks growing wild|access-date=May 4, 2007|newspaper=New York Times|date=January 18, 2006|author=John Branch}}</ref> In fact, after Roethlisberger and his beard led the Steelers to their [[Super Bowl XL]] victory, he was shaved by [[David Letterman]] during an appearance on the [[Late Show with David Letterman]].

===Association football===
* In [[1992-93 FA Cup|1993]], [[Sheffield United F.C.|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.<ref>{{cite web |date=September 19, 2012 |url=http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/sports-columnists/Ian-Appleyard-Doncaster39s-bearded-wonders.6151865.jp |title=Ian Appleyard: Doncaster's bearded wonders bringing back golden memor… |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120919014438/http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/sports-columnists/Ian-Appleyard-Doncaster39s-bearded-wonders.6151865.jp |archive-date=September 19, 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
* In [[Major League Soccer]] (MLS), players on the [[Houston Dynamo]] roster kept a "lucky beard" for the duration of the [[MLS Cup 2006#MLS Cup Playoffs|2006]] and [[2007 MLS Cup Playoffs]].<ref name="Houston">{{cite news|url=https://sports.yahoo.com/mls/news;_ylt=ApX47MZ8aZBBbQylqysD8hw5nYcB?slug=ro-dynamo111507&prov=yhoo&type=lgns|title=Houston's growth potential|access-date=November 16, 2007|date=November 15, 2007|work=Yahoo Sports|author=Martin Rogers}}</ref> They renewed the tradition during their run to the [[2011 MLS Cup]].<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/07/mls-playoffs-houston-dynamo-sporting-kc_n_1079393.html | work=Huffington Post | title=Houston Dynamo Reaches MLS Cup Final | date=November 7, 2011}}</ref>
* The [[LA Galaxy]] grew playoff beards during their run to the [[2005 MLS Cup]] and again during the [[2010 MLS Cup Playoffs]].<ref>{{Cite web|author=Andrea Canales|date=November 13, 2010|url=https://www.goal.com/en-us/news/1110/major-league-soccer/2010/11/13/2212046/los-angeles-galaxy-battle-tested-and-bearded-for-playoffs|title=Galaxy Battle-Tested And Bearded For Playoffs |website=Goal.com|access-date=December 5, 2021|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205214451/https://www.goal.com/en-us/news/1110/major-league-soccer/2010/11/13/2212046/los-angeles-galaxy-battle-tested-and-bearded-for-playoffs|archive-date=December 5, 2021}}</ref>

===Baseball===
* The [[Boston Red Sox]] featured many players who grew beards during the team's [[2013 Boston Red Sox season|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."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/10/22/men-show-their-sox-devotion-through-their-beards/kobAjDWSE9bgdbOUIJgHLL/story.html|title=Diehard Red Sox supporters bond over their beards|access-date=October 24, 2013|newspaper=The Boston Globe|author=Billy Baker|date=October 23, 2013}}</ref> By the beginning of the [[2013 World Series|World Series]] against the [[2013 St. Louis Cardinals season|St. Louis Cardinals]], only pitcher [[Koji Uehara]] was without facial hair. However, in the past, he did have a beard.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.masslive.com/redsox/index.ssf/2013/10/boston_red_sox_closer_koji_ueh_1.html|title=Believe it or not, Boston Red Sox closer Koji Uehara used to have a beard - and a 33.75 postseason ERA|access-date=October 24, 2013|publisher=MassLive|author=Nick O'Malley|date=October 21, 2013}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|author=Tony Manfred|title=Photos Of Red Sox Players Before And After They Had Playoff Beards|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/red-sox-beards-before-and-after-photos-2013-10|website=[[Business Insider]]|date=October 23, 2013|access-date=October 12, 2015}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://whatthehoff.com/2013/09/30/playoff-baseball-and-beard-tugs/|title=Playoff Baseball and Beard Tugs|access-date=October 24, 2013|publisher=What The Huff|author=unknown|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029200605/http://whatthehoff.com/2013/09/30/playoff-baseball-and-beard-tugs/|archive-date=October 29, 2013}}</ref>

===Basketball===
* [[Cleveland Cavaliers]] [[center (basketball)|center]] [[Zydrunas Ilgauskas]] wore a playoff beard in 2006, but did not bring it back for the [[2007 NBA Playoffs|2007 playoffs]], citing spousal disapproval.<ref name="Cavs">{{cite news|url=http://www.cleveland.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/sports/117740408196600.xml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924122441/http://www.cleveland.com/printer/printer.ssf?%2Fbase%2Fsports%2F117740408196600.xml|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 24, 2015|title=LeBron says ankle won't keep him out|access-date=May 4, 2007|newspaper=The Plain Dealer|date=April 24, 2007|author=Mary Schmitt Boyer}}</ref>
* In a variant of the playoff beard, the [[Dallas Mavericks]] stopped shaving during the [[2012–13 NBA season|2012–13]] regular season until the team reached a .500 winning percentage (achieved in mid-April).<ref>{{cite news|title=Beards be gone: Mavs beat Hornets to get back to .500, earn much-needed shave|url=http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/dallas-mavericks/headlines/20130414-beards-be-gone-mavs-beat-hornets-to-get-back-to-.500-earn-much-needed-shave.ece|agency=[[Associated Press]]|newspaper=[[The Dallas Morning News]]|date=April 14, 2013|access-date=October 12, 2015}}</ref>

===Tennis===
* Starting in the late 1970s, five-time [[The Championships, Wimbledon|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."<ref name="Borg">{{cite magazine|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1124577/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130628220332/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1124577/|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 28, 2013|title=The Beard Has Begun|access-date=May 26, 2013|magazine=Sports Illustrated|author=Curry Kirkpatrick}}</ref>

===Motorsport===
* An October 2014 skit shows [[Team Penske]] personnel growing "[[NASCAR playoffs|Chase]] beards", including female staff.<ref>{{cite web |author=Jerry Bonkowski |url=http://motorsportstalk.nbcsports.com/2014/10/16/the-penske-files-whos-the-penske-prankster-and-taking-chase-beards-to-an-extreme/ |title=The Penske Files: Who's the Penske prankster and taking Chase beards to an extreme |website=NBC Sports |date=October 16, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141018041916/http://motorsportstalk.nbcsports.com/2014/10/16/the-penske-files-whos-the-penske-prankster-and-taking-chase-beards-to-an-extreme/ |archive-date=October 18, 2014}}</ref>

==Fan beards==
Fans often grow beards as a sign of support while their favorite team is in the playoffs.
* In 2006, the [[NPR]] show ''[[Weekend America]]'' featured a segment about [[St. Louis Cardinals]] [[Cardinal Nation|fans]] who grew beards during the playoffs. Several Cardinals players grew beards as well.<ref>{{cite web|title=St. Louis Beards|url=http://weekendamerica.publicradio.org/programs/2006/10/28/st_louis_beards.html|publisher=American Public Media|date=October 28, 2006|access-date=October 12, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160109171122/http://weekendamerica.publicradio.org/programs/2006/10/28/st_louis_beards.html|archive-date=January 9, 2016}}</ref>

==Outside of sports==
* 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.<ref name="FinalsBeard">{{Cite web|url=http://www.cherwell.org/features/beginning_the_finals_countdown |title=Beginning the finals countdown |access-date=May 4, 2007 |publisher=Cherwell24 |date=February 4, 2005 |author=Olivia Solon |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060519212028/http://www.cherwell.org/features/beginning_the_finals_countdown |archive-date=May 19, 2006 }}</ref>
* in 1960, partly to distance themselves from non-contributing teammate [[Aad van Wijngaarden]] (known for taking credit for the work of others), scientists [[Edsger W. Dijkstra]] and [[Jaap Zonneveld]] agreed to not shave until they completed the [[Electrologica X1|Electrologica ALGOL 60]] compiler.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://vanemden.wordpress.com/2008/05/06/i-remember-edsger-dijkstra-1930-2002/ | title=I remember Edsger Dijkstra (1930–2002) | access-date=December 22, 2010 | author=van Emden, Maarten|website=Vanemden.wordpress.com | date=June 14, 2012}}</ref>

==Other playoff hair==
* During the 2010 playoffs, [[Patrick Kane]] of the [[Chicago Blackhawks]] chose to style his hair into a "playoff [[Mullet (haircut)|mullet]]" in addition to growing a playoff beard. He did it because of his struggles to grow a beard the year before.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Patrick-Kane-rejects-playoff-beard-in-favor-of-?urn=nhl,234163|title=Patrick Kane rejects playoff beard in favor of 'trashy' mullet|date=April 14, 2010|author=Greg Wyshynski|website=Sports.yahho.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=373963&src=149|title=Hawks throw some 'Dirt' on Kane's new hairstyle|date=April 16, 2010|author=Tim Sassone|website=Dailyherald.com}}</ref> He has continued this throughout his career including the Chicago Blackhawks' 2013 and 2015 Championships.
* In the 2008 [[NHL Playoffs]] some of the [[Calgary Flames]], including [[Craig Conroy]], [[David Moss (ice hockey)|David Moss]], [[Dustin Boyd]] and [[Jarome Iginla]], got "[[faux-hawk]]" haircuts.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.canada.com/story_print.html?id=f4c1b0d9-a899-46d9-871e-9a812fa9b98f&sponsor= |title=Flames take Game 1 |date=April 10, 2008 |author=Jean Lefebvre |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160109171122/http://www.canada.com/story_print.html?id=f4c1b0d9-a899-46d9-871e-9a812fa9b98f&sponsor= |archive-date=January 9, 2016 }}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070513233621/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0705/gallery.nhl.playoff.beards/content.1.html Photo gallery of NHL playoff beards] at [[SI.com]]
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