NHL Playoff Beards

NHL Playoff Beards

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It's May and playoff beards are in full bloom. Buffalo's Chris Drury and Ottawa's Mike Fisher continue the fuzzy tradition that is widely credited to the New York Islanders of the early 1980s. They refused to shave until the Stanley Cup was theirs.

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A playoff beard can lend a touch of toughness and ferocity to the wearer's mug, although in the case of a fair-haired Finn such as Teemu Selanne, a good shiner may be necessary to achieve the desired effect.

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Detroit's Todd Bertuzzi is not known for his gentle style of play, so his facial foliage adds an additional degree of grungy menace.

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Brian Campbell's postseason appearance has a certain rundown charm, as if he'd be right at home drinking coffee out of a crimped-up can and singing songs around a wood fire with a bunch of hobos.

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Even goaltenders sport beards. Did Buffalo's Ryan Miller take a little off the top to fill in the gaps below?

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Players traditionally start growing their beards just before the playoffs begin, but Islanders netminder Rick DiPietro obviously got started early. His team was eliminated in only five games of the first round.

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Vancouver's Roberto Luongo carried his team five games deep into the second round, giving his shrubbery time to thicken.

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Twin brothers Henrik and Daniel Sedin of the Canucks naturally sported the matching look.

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Anaheim's Scott Niedermayer is the definition of a greybeard. He's playing in the 13th postseason of his NHL career.

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Judging by the shadow on the face of San Jose's Patrick Marleau, it must be 5 o'clock.

AP

Ottawa's Dany Heatley favors a tidier look.

AP

Not all players grow playoff beards, but Matt Carle's failure to keep pace with his teammates may have cursed the team's pursuit of Lord Stanley's mug. The Sharks were deep-sixed in the second round.

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Not all players can grow beards. Pittsburgh's tender trio of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal are under 21 and probably barely acquainted with the need to shave. Then again, their Penguins made an early exit that did not give the trio's fuzz time to fully foliate.

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Manly men: The beards worn by Detroit's Kris Draper and Henrik Zetterberg are not rented.