One of the main—or, at least, favorite—indicators that it’s playoff season in hockey is the increase in facial hair amongst players. The tradition originated in the 1980s, when the New York Islanders grew beards during their playoff run, resulting in four Stanley Cups. Bob Nystrom, who was a forward on the team when the tradition originated, said it wasn’t something that they planned as some sort of team activity, and that it was just a random occurrence. The Islanders lost semifinal games in the years leading up to their Stanley cup reign, but finally won four years in a row, which happened to coincide with when they grew out their facial hair. In 1984, the same year they abandoned the tradition, the Islanders lost to the Edmonton Oilers. With a myth of correlation between facial hair and wins, many professional hockey players have opted to grow out their beards during playoff season.
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