I was somewhat hesitant to post an update on the status of the playoff beard because the Bruins were in the middle of a tough series, but now that they gritted out their series with an overtime win over the Canadiens in Game 7, it’s time for an update.
Both myself and Chad Margulius of IntheOT.com have been growing our beards in support of our teams and had to face nerve-racking situations this week. For me, Boston had fallen behind 0-2 against the Canadiens, won three straight to take a 3-2 lead, and then lost Game 6. Thankfully they won Game 7 4-3 in overtime to advance.
For Chad, his Vancouver Canucks were looking at the ultimate collapse. The Canucks went up 3-0 on the defending champion Blackhawks, blew the 3-0 lead, and had to grit it out against Chicago in Game 7. Even with goaltending issues between Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider, the Canucks won Game 7 to advance in the playoffs.
Next up for the Bruins is Philadelphia while the Canucks take on the Predators.
Now let me be the first to tell you that growing a playoff beard isn’t as simple as it looks. The third member to accept the playoff beard challenge, Arsen, couldn’t handle the beard and dropped out even though his Red Wings moved on. These things can get itchy and annoying, but you still have to sack up. In the immortal words of David Putty, “Gotta support the team!”
Here’s the background on the LBS Playoff Beard Challenge and a picture of how we looked when the playoffs began. Let me tell you, it’s only been two weeks and I don’t even recognize myself in the mirror. Scary.
