Celebrations get hairy for Panthers

The tradition of hockey's playoff beard goes back to at least the mid-1980s, with the Detroit Red Wings widely credited with beginning the facial hair phenomenon.

The playoff beard rub might have started last month by accident.

Go back to April 26, when the Florida Panthers staved off elimination by beating the Boston Bruins in overtime of Game 5 of the firstround series. Overjoyed in the moment, Panthers teammates Marc Staal and Aaron Ekblad gave each other a big hug on the bench. Completely normal stuff.

Here's the unusual part: As they embraced, they realized their beards were rubbing up against the other. And since it worked that night, it's become a celebratory routine for Staal and Ekblad.

“Yeah, it's a unique one, for sure,” Staal said.

Whatever works. If the Panthers think that it's

SUNRISE, FLA. >>

(Best-of-7; x-if necessary)

All games on TNT

FLORIDA VS. VEGAS

Saturday:

Monday:

Thursday, June 8: Saturday, June 10: x-Tuesday, June 13: x-Friday, June 16: x-Monday, June 19:

at Vegas, 5 p.m. at Vegas, 5 p.m. at Florida, 5 p.m. at Florida, 5 p.m. at Vegas, 5 p.m. at Florida, 5 p.m.

at Vegas, 5 p.m. helped them to get to the Stanley Cup Final, so be it. Although there's a superstition that typically prevents talking about how superstitious hockey players are at this time of year, Staal and Ekblad are enjoying their new tradition.

“Just pure happiness, rubbing beards with Marc Staal,” Ekblad said in the din of the postgame celebration when Florida swept Carolina by winning Game 4 of the East final. “That's what we've been doing.”

As one would expect, given hockey's unwritten playoff rules, there's a ton of beards in the Panthers locker room these days.

And now the beard rub is headed to the Stanley Cup Final, Florida's first trip to the title series in 27 years.