Stanley Cup Playoff Ritual Analysis

For my final project, I have decided to examine the rituals that are performed during every single Stanley Cup Playoff year. Most athletes have some sort of superstitions that they follow from game to game but when it comes to the playoffs in the NHL extreme new rituals are picked up by just about every player and team. The most well-known ritual is the playoff beard, which is when all players let their beards grow only performing minor maintenance after a loss. The New York Islanders originated this tradition that has now spread to many different sports. The meaning behind this is that the length of the beard sends a message for how long and hard each team has worked, the longer the better. Routine maintenance is performed after a loss as

Another ritual that is considered one of the classiest is all of the professional sports is the post-series handshakes between both teams. The only time teams shake hands all season is after a playoff series, no matter how gritty or dirty the series get both teams come together as a sign of respect for each other and for the game. This is unique because it is the only time in any of the top professional sports that both teams line up at the center of the venue and shake every opposing players and coaches hand as a sign of respect. This is much different from sports like basketball, football, and baseball, in which players seem to seek out only specific players and rarely does someone acknowledge every player on the opposing team. Another meaningful part of the NHL handshake is that media doesn’t rush put onto the ice and mob the athletes until after everyone has gone through the lines, players always make a point to finish the line before doing any post-game interviews. Others rituals that are also always present involve things like the acceptance and the passing of the Stanley Cup, the day with the Stanley cup ceremony, names on the cup, the Detroit octopus throw, saluting the fans, drinking from the cup, and the championship