How did the playoff beard tradition start?

With the NHL playoffs comes the tradition of playoff beards, and one University of Alberta professor has attempted to find out how the tradition started, even though Edmonton Oilers fans may be getting ready to shave theirs off.

“This is not playoff-related, but I do love a good playoff look,” said one Edmontonian CityNews spoke to.

The postseason tradition wasn’t always around. One U of A anthropologist may have the answer to when and where it started.

“The 1980 Islanders were the first to have fully developed playoff beards, let’s say,” said Andre Costopoulos, the chair of anthropology at the University of Alberta.

Costopoulos poured over images of old hockey games to find out when players began sporting facial hair during playoff time. Part of the reason it didn’t catch on until the early 80s is that the playoffs just weren’t long enough. 

“It started with two rounds and then it went three rounds, and finally four. So even if someone had the idea to grow a playoff beard in the 1960s, it wouldn’t be possible,” Costopoulos explained.

Call it superstition, but after winning four cups, the look caught on. Which professor Costopoulos says, is cultural evolution.

“It’s spread way outside hockey, it’s spread to other sports, and fans, it’s all over the place,” he explained.

Beard enthusiasts, and yes, there are some in Alberta, are loving the playoff look. Lee Palichuk is organizing a beard competition in Calgary this May, even though Calgary doesn’t have to worry about growing a playoff beard. 

We have different lengths of beard, we have a mustache category, a freestyle beard category, a build-a-beard category, so anyone can kind of join it,” Palichuk explained. “I always had a short beard, but I started growing it out in 2014.”

But despite the beard bonanza, not everyone CityNews talked to on Thursday afternoon is down with growing a playoff beard. 

Although Edmonton Oilers fans may be dreading sharpening their razors as the team is down two games in the series against the Los Angeles Kings. 

The teams face off Friday in Edmonton