More than three decades after he tried his darnedest to grow a lustrous beard during the Stanley Cup playoffs, former New York Islanders forward Bob Nystrom remains amazed at how some NHL players can sprout such lush expanses of facial hair at this time of year.
"I had a few hairs on my chin and that was about it," Nystrom, now 64, said, laughing.
The Islanders have been largely credited with launching the playoff tradition of growing beards during their illustrious run that resulted in four Stanley Cups between 1980 and 1983, but that timeline actually appears to have several holes in it -- kind of like Nystrom's playoff beards.