CREDITS
Project: ESPN Playful Beards
Studio: Two Fresh Creative, California
Players: Alex Ovechkin, Drew Doughty, Nikita Kucherov, Robin Lehner
Client: ESPN
Role: 3D Character Content Creation & Look Development
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The Stanley Cup playoff beard has been an NHL tradition since the early 1980s, when the shaggy New York Islanders won four straight championships. It represents the players’ singular focus, as if even personal hygiene is sacrificed in pursuit of hockey’s holy grail. It suggests the rugged doggedness that’s synonymous with the NHL’s postseason tournament, with its grueling series and marathon overtimes. Here’s a look at the best beards to watch for in the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs, the next generation of bushy beauties and the greatest facial forests in NHL postseason history. As Joe Thornton, playoff beard GOAT once said: “It looks pretty. But it’s hard work.
