Best Beards in the NHL of All-Time
The NHL is one of the most competitive hockey leagues in the world. Featuring high-powered athletes, these players are paid big bucks in an attempt to secure a championship ring for their respective team.
And while these players are all all-stars in their own right, some take extra measures to help develop their brand and promote their lifestyle.
And one such way that many NHL players do so is by growing out their facial hair. Often providing them with a unique look and style, facial hair and beards in the NHL have become more-and-more popular.
Below, we are going to look at the best beards in the NHL of all-time and finally determine who has the best beard in the league.
Be sure to also check out our review of the best beards in both the NFL and NBA!
Why do NHL Players Play with Beards?
While not all NHL players play with beards or facial hair, there has been an upward trend in terms of total players playing with either a beard or some level of facial hair.
And while, unfortunately, playing with a beard cannot help to improve your overall game, many NHL players opt to play with a beard due to personal or religious reasons.
However, an even more number of NHL players opt to play with beards due to the added recognizability and presence that playing with one affords them.
Playing with a beard, particularly a large or full one, can help fans to instantly recognize those players, thus helping them to increase their own personal brand.
And lastly, for many players, playing with a beard is simply easier.
From a seemingly endless amount of interstate travel, hotel bookings, practices and trainings, interviews, and personal projects and charities, many NHL players simply find not shaving to be a time saver.
Chris Kunitz
Born on September 26, 1979, Chris Kunitz is a former NHL player and a professional hockey winger from Canada.
Although Kunitz was initially undrafted, he played for the Anaheim Ducks, the former Atlanta Thrashers, the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Tampa Bay Lightning, and the Chicago Blackhawks.
Having won his first Stanley Cup in 2007 with the Anaheim Ducks, he would go on to win his second, third, and fourth Stanley Cup’s in 2009, 2016, and 2017 with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Sidney Crosby
One of the best NHL players of all-time, Sidney Crosby also had one of the best beards in the NHL from any player. Born on August 7, 1987, Crosby is a Canadian ice hockey centre and captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Having debuted in the NHL in the 2005-06 season, Crosby would record 102 points and finish as runner up for the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL Rookie of the Year.
And at just 18 years and 253 days old, he would become the youngest player to reach 100 points in any NHL season.
A storied career and resume, Crosby would also win the Mark Messier Leadership Award, the Maurice Richard Trophy as the NHL’s leading goal scorer in 2010 and 2017, and has won the Stanley Cup championship 3-times.
Alex Ovechkin
What’s there to say about Alex Ovechkin that probably hasn’t already been said? Well, probably that he looks a bit more frightening than usual with his beard pictured above.
Born Alexander Mikhailovich Ovechkin on September 17, 1985, Ovechkin is a Russian professional hockey player and the current captain of the Washington Capitals.
Nicknamed both “the Great Eight” and “Ovi”, Ovechkin is regarded as one of the best scorers of all time and currently holds the record for the most power play goals in NHL history.
A highly sought after draft pick, he would be selected by the Capitals first overall in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. In the 2005–06 season, he scored 52 goals and 54 assists to lead all rookies in points, capturing the Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year and finishing third overall in league scoring.
He has also won the Hart Memorial Trophy for most valuable player three times and the Lester B. Pearson Award/Ted Lindsay Award for best player as voted on by the National Hockey League Players’ Association three times.
A prolific goal scorer, Ovechkin has won the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy, an NHL-record nine times. He has also been named to the NHL First All-Star Team eight times.
He has scored 50 goals in a season nine times, tying Mike Bossy and Wayne Gretzky for the most 50-goal seasons in NHL history, and is currently third all-time for career goals.
In 2017, Ovechkin was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players of all time. In 2018 Ovechkin won the Stanley Cup for the first time, and was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy for most valuable player in the 2018 playoffs.
Jaromír Jágr
Perhaps one of the coolest pictures of all time, Jaromír Jágr is a Czech hockey player who previously played in the NHL for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Dallas Stars, Boston Bruins, New Jersey Devils, Florida Panthers and Calgary Flames, serving as captain of the Penguins and the Rangers, between 1990 and 2018.
Jágr has the second-most points in NHL history, after Wayne Gretzky. In 1990, at age 18, he was the youngest player in the NHL. Until his transfer, at age 45, he was the oldest player in the NHL, and is the oldest player to record a hat-trick.
And, in 2017, Jágr was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players in history.
In addition, he has won the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL scoring champion five times, the Lester B. Pearson Award three times and the Hart Memorial Trophy.
Jágr is a member of the Triple Gold Club, which is a club for individuals who have played for teams that have won the Stanley Cup, the Ice Hockey World Championships, and the Olympic gold medal in ice hockey.
Peter Forsberg
Born on July 20, 1973, Peter Forsberg is a Swedish hockey player who played in the NHL for 13-seasons. Nicknamed “Peter the Great” and “Foppa”, he is considered one of the best NHL players of all-time for his on-ice vision and physical play.
Standing ninth in all-time career points-per-game and fifth all-time in career assists-per-game, he was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players in history in 2017.