Fansided

The gnarliest playoff beards in the history of every NHL team

By Bruin Belisle

MONTREAL, QC - MAY 25: Lanny McDonald #9 of the Calgary Flames hugs the Stanley Cup Trophy in the locker room after the Flames defeated the Montreal Canadiens in Game 6 of the 1989 Stanley Cup Finals on May 25, 1989 at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett Studios/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC - MAY 25: Lanny McDonald #9 of the Calgary Flames hugs the Stanley Cup Trophy in the locker room after the Flames defeated the Montreal Canadiens in Game 6 of the 1989 Stanley Cup Finals on May 25, 1989 at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett Studios/Getty Images) /
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MONTREAL, CANADA – APRIL 26: Paul Mara #22 of the Montreal Canadiens congratulates teammate Carey Price #31 on his victory over the Boston Bruins in Game Six of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Bell Centre on April 26, 2011 in Montreal, Canada. (Photo by Phillip MacCallum/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, CANADA – APRIL 26: Paul Mara #22 of the Montreal Canadiens congratulates teammate Carey Price #31 on his victory over the Boston Bruins in Game Six of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Bell Centre on April 26, 2011 in Montreal, Canada. (Photo by Phillip MacCallum/Getty Images) /

Montreal Canadiens: Paul Mara

Okay, so Paul Mara only played one season with the Montreal Canadiens, but you can’t compile a list of the best beards in the NHL and not have Mara on it. By listing Mara as the Habs representative even though he was known for his time with the Coyotes and Rangers, it allows this writer to avoid saying good things about a Montreal favorite (perhaps a certain goaltender who rocks a pretty good beard come playoff time).

Paul Mara’s playoff beard is an all-timer. His look between the months of March an April goes from local small-town insurance salesman to bona-fide bearded beauty. Mara played only one playoff game in the Canadiens 2011 series with the Bruins, reinforcing my initial statement of avoiding writing anything nice about the Habs. The Canadiens would go on to lose that series to the Bruins in overtime of Game 7. The Bruins went on to win the Stanley Cup.

In high school, Mara made the decision to move up to Sudbury, ON to pursue his hockey career, playing Junior hockey for the Sudbury Wolves. Mara is quoted saying: “It was the best decision of my life, to go up to Sudbury [Ontario].” To this day, he is known as the only person in the history to have said those words, as no one in his right mind would voluntarily move to Sudbury.

Mara collected 253 points and 776 penalty minutes over his 15 NHL seasons. He is now an assistant coach with the Olympic gold-medal winning United States women’s national hockey team.

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