By Brittany Burke
For me, the next month and a half will be the most stressful of my year.
Not because of finals, but because of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Yes, the NFL playoffs are heart attack worthy, but they’re a one and done deal. The chase for Lord Stanley’s cup is more drawn out, and the Bruins give me ample time and reason to throw things at my TV.
However, what I love about any playoff season, and not only the NHL, is the crazy rituals and superstitions that fans and players carry out and believe in.
It’s common knowledge that NHL players and male fans (well I hope just male fans) will stop shaving their facial hair and grow beards until they’re team gets eliminated…well they try to grow anyway. One look at Sidney Crosby’s beard and you realize it’s not as easy for some to grow a beard as it is for others.
The point is, growing a beard is tradition. The practice began with the Islanders in the 1980’s and was resurrected by the Devils in the 1990’s. It has been a playoff staple ever since.
Taking part in growing a beard is like any other superstition during these pivotal times. They make the players feel confident and give fans a way of connecting themselves to the team on another level.
Growing a beard has been heightened with teams and fans coming up with rules of acceptable facial hair maintenance and many fans document its growth.
This type of dedication allows fans to be one with the team and a part of something bigger. Some people wear the same football jersey during the season until the team loses, then you switch it up until they win again. Some people eat the same things before the game. Or follow the age old joke of wearing the same socks and underwear until they lose (not the most hygienic, but whatever works, right?).
Do any of these rituals actually work? Does growing a beard, eating the same type of sandwich before each game or donning the same jersey for 16 weeks actually cause the players to play better? There is obviously no scientific proof, a playoff ritual is all mental.
Some people may think fans that have a ritual are crazy. However, as a girl who wears the same jersey every Sunday and the same Bruins bracelet all season, I can’t judge. If my best friend doesn’t wants to stop shaving her legs to make up for her lack of beard growth (thankfully) then so be it.
Playoff rituals are intense and over the top, but it just adds to the atmosphere of the sport, and everyone should have one.