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Between Joe Thornton, Brent Burns, Nick Bonino and the beard pulling scrum between Thornton and St. Louis Blues forward David Backes earlier in the playoffs, there's been almost as much attention paid of late to facial hair as hockey.
I am not a fan of the playoff beard "tradition", especially not these competitions to look like auditions for a remake of Castaway.
I realize that, to some, it's just harmless fun. To me, it's a matter of professionalism.
When one is a professional, he should look the part in his appearance. Even back when I was playing in various pro leagues-- and this was mostly in the 1970s, mind you, where wild hair and thick mustaches and horrifying clothing were as widespread around hockey as anywhere else -- I thought players and coaches should maintain a neat and professional appearance.
Yes, I owned my share of bad duds (trendy at the time) in those day but I always admired the way that Cincinnati Reds manager Sparky Anderson expected his players to keep their hair within a certain length and their faces clean shaven. I followed the same practice.
Likewise, in later days, I admired the standards that Lou Lamoriello established and upheld for the New Jersey Devils. Again, it's all about professionalism and respect. I want my officials to upkeep the same standards.
One other thing: The playoff beard "tradition" is not the longstanding staple of hockey that it often gets romanticized to be. Look at vintage photos of teams celebrating with the Cup. The players were clean-shaven. Were they any less focused or single mindedly devoted to the task of winning the Cup? Of course not.
The Islanders of the early 1980s, to some extent, grew playoff beards but it didn't really become a leaguewide "tradition" until a little bit later.
Even after it became commonplace, did anyone think less of the handful of players who eschewed the beards? If so, was it "cheating" to grow a neatly groomed goatee or does that count the same as the caveman look? Frankly, who cares? It has nothing to do with hockey.
In the grand scheme of things, playoff beards are not a major blight on the game or the world. It's not something the NHL and its teams need to concern itself with stopping, given the more serious issues that affect the sport.
To me, though, it symptomatic of a societal slide in the expectations of what being a professional entails. It is also not about team solidarity, as it supposedly once was. Rather, it's all a blatant "hey, look at me."
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Paul Stewart holds the distinction of being the first U.S.-born citizen to make it to the NHL as both a player and referee. On March 15, 2003, he became the first American-born referee to officiate in 1,000 NHL games.
Today, Stewart is the director of officiating for the ECAC.
The longtime referee heads Officiating by Stewart, a consulting, training and evaluation service for officials. Stewart also maintains a busy schedule as a public speaker, fund raiser and master-of-ceremonies for a host of private, corporate and public events. As a non-hockey venture, he is the owner of Lest We Forget.
Blogger •Former NHL Referee • 
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