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BEARDS CATCH ON DURING ECHL PLAYOFFS

May 5, 2008 | By Maggie Thach - The Salt Lake Tribune

Sean Offers has never whole-heartedly attempted to grow a beard before.

As the rest of his Utah Grizzlies teammates have grown and groomed their playoff beards, he is realizing how long it takes for him to do the same.

Even as the Grizzlies head into their fourth week of postseason play, having just ended their second-round series with Victoria, his teammates say Offers still has a ways to go.

His beard is, at best, patchy. There is hair on his chin, with the occasional bald spot, but the beard is nearly nonexistent on the sides of his face. That's why he chose to supplement his half-beard with a mullet - long on top, sides shaved and slightly curly at the bottom.

Even if the Grizzlies didn't advance past the second round, Offers said he will keep his facial hairstyle for a while. Up in Alberta where he's from, he says the mullet never went out of style.

"It's a very popular haircut back home for us," Offers said. "I had one growing up and [the style] is still going strong up there. I can't really grow a beard all to well, so I opted for the mullet."

But the rest of his teammates look like a bunch of mountain men. The playoff beard has been a long-time tradition in hockey. It is believed that the trend started back in the 1980s with Utah's NHL affiliate, the New York Islanders. Most of the Islanders had beards during their four consecutive Stanley Cup-winning seasons from 1980-1983.

But, it is also believed that the trend started about a decade earlier and New York just helped to bring it back.

"It picked up steam over the years and it became glorified with television. People see that and everyone wants to emulate [their] heroes," forward Justin Johnson said. "It's more of a prideful thing."

Teammates agree captain Travis Rycroft has the most filled-in beard. Then there is Offers, whose beard can barely be called a goatee and mustache. Then, there is a range of beards between the two polar opposites.

There's also many styles to choose from when it comes to facial hair.

"There's a plethora of things you can do," defenseman Jeff Dwyer said. "Last year, I had a Fu Manchu."

Along with the Fu Manchu - a mustache with ends that can extend past the chin – players can also opt for a handlebar mustache, a duster or chops that just go right into the mustache.

Defenseman Andrew MacDonald dyed his beard black on Wednesday with the help from Just for Men dye.

But, there is a downside to having a beard. It's itchy and becomes hard to maintain the longer it gets.

"The longer it goes, you have to shampoo it so it doesn't get nasty on you," MacDonald said. "But the longer you go, the bigger your beard gets. That's the whole idea of it all."

Despite the discomfort, the players don't mind the extra upkeep and itchiness because it's a part of hockey not every team gets to experience.

"There's really no down side. When we're all done with hockey, we'll probably have to shave every day, so it's nice to let it go," Dwyer said. "It's fun to be a part of it."