88 going strong with his beard game. Photo: Getty Images
NBC Sports chairman Mark Lazarus has some critical words about one of the best traditions in sports. The playoff beard.
The TV executive, who’s been watching the growth of the NHL playoffs across the network, really wishes playoff beards weren’t such a huge thing.
“The players won’t like this, but I wish they all would stop growing beards in the postseason,” Lazarus told the Chicago Tribune. “Let’s get their faces out there. Let’s talk about how young and attractive they are.”
OK, let’s do that. Speaking as a hockey fan (and a lady) I think a lot of players are more attractive with a bit of facial hair. I might be in the minority, but this is the first year that Patrick Kane’s beard isn’t a total embarrassment. It’s a good look on him.
And don’t sleep on Stamkos with a beard, you guys. I know this is all subjective, but dude looks way better with a little scruff.
Smiley, bearded Stamkos. Photo: AP
Lazarus is correct that the NHL playoffs are filled with young, attractive hockey players. But, aside from their beards, their faces are also largely covered up with helmets and visors, making it almost impossible to identify who’s who on the ice. That’s part of the reason the guys have their last names written in big letters across their jerseys.
Beards are hardly the issue here, even though he says they hurt player marketability.
“I know it’s a tradition and superstition, but I think (the beards do) hurt recognition. They have a great opportunity with more endorsements.”
This may be where Lazarus probably has a point. There’s no contest between a clean shaven Jonathan Toews and one sporting several weeks of weak playoff scruff.
Toews would fit in nicely with the Amish community, don’t you think? Photo: AP
Instead of a beard, Toews has this Amish chin strap that doesn’t quite connect all the way around his face. It’s not his best look, but that’s part of the deal. It wouldn’t be the playoffs without players and their gross, scraggly facial hair.
Take a look at Tampa Bay’s Jason Garrison, who is maybe two days away from his beard reaching his eyes.
What’s under all that facial hair? We may never know. Photo: USA TODAY Sports.
To mess with the playoff beard is to mess with what makes the playoffs so glorious. Playoffs are about grit and pushing your body to exhaustion, ignoring everything, including facial hair, for the pursuit of one goal.
Maybe NBC can take a cue from how Chicago has embraced Patrick Kane’s ridiculous mullet. It’s not even just hair anymore, it’s a symbol. Instead of fighting the beards, NBC just needs to learn how to market them.
According to the Tribune, Lazarus has actively pleaded with the NHL to get players to shave, but so far, no one is really listening.
(Thanks to Sporting News for bringing this to our attention)
