The playoff rituals at EHC Red Bull München

Wednesday, 13. March 2024 | The playoff rituals at EHC Red Bull München

Let's see your beards! The playoff rituals in ice hockeyNo shaving, the right playlist and an octopus on the ice// NEWSParticularly intense, emotional and sometimes even shrill: playoff time - rightly called the "hottest time of the year" - guarantees more than just top-class sport. We look forward to bushy beards, our 2024 play-off hit and other curious stories.

It's not so much a ritual as a law: You don't shave your beard in the playoffs. Period. At the end of a playoff trip, every club is asked who has the best facial hair. A question that was actually superfluous for us after Dominik Bittner moved from the Grizzlys Wolfsburg to EHC Red Bull München last summer.

However, the defender will miss the playoffs due to an upper body injury. This means that our number three is out of contention, but available as the perfect beard juror for the Red Bulls. "The beard is the absolute classic. Once you get into the playoffs, you get to shave it exactly once, then you let it grow. Every now and then a blind eye is turned if someone clears their neck a little, but otherwise shaving is absolutely taboo," Bittner jokingly warns.

In search of the playoff playlist

The search for the right playlist for the hottest phase of the year is similarly traditional. "During the season, there are two or three songs that are always played in the dressing room before the game. If things aren't going well, some of them are immediately discarded. So a playlist for the playoffs slowly crystallizes - including a song that always plays first after victories," explains Bittner. The "winning song" of the 2023/24 season so far: "Live Is Life" by Opus.

For many players, a fixed playlist is not the only constant during the playoffs. The right rhythm plays almost as important a role in sport as it does in music. It's not for nothing that people in ice hockey often talk about the importance of a good "run" or the all-important "momentum" after a series of wins - when it fits, it just fits. And once you get rolling, you want it to stay that way.

The right matchday sequence is essential

That's why the motto is: what worked once will work again. Change as little as possible compared to the last win. Bittner: "Many players have a precise pre-match routine in the playoffs. What is the last meal, where and at what time do you eat it. Some always eat at home, others always eat together before games - a last team meeting before the playoffs is also a tradition."

The right routine on and around match day is essential. "When you warm up, you always do what has worked for you so far in the season. For some it's soccer, others do their exercises, some just take a moment to focus," Bittner continues.

Parkesy with a special ritual

If you are a regular and early guest at the Olympic Ice Stadium, you may be able to witness another such focus ritual in the upcoming games. Trevor Parkes always stands in front of the penalty box before the warm-up, listens to music and gazes introspectively at the ice for several minutes.

NHL icon Stéphane Quintal, compatriot of our Canadian forward, took the calm before the storm to the extreme. On the day of a playoff game, the former Boston Bruins defenseman didn't say a word after noon. Karl Alzner, on the other hand, who played for the Washington Capitals for a long time, tapped his stick on the ice 88 times during the Canadian national anthem before every playoff duel.

Curious octopus throw in the NHL

While every player and every team has their own little rituals, things are often a whole lot crazier in the NHL. As early as 1952, the Detroit Red Wings developed the tradition of throwing an octopus onto the ice before the playoffs. Back then, a maximum of eight wins in the playoffs (two best-of-seven series) was needed to emerge as champions in the US league, which only had six teams. Eight arms for eight wins.

This tradition is deeply rooted in the history of the Red Wings. To this day, there are plush octopods for sale in the stadium, which often find their way onto the playing surface in a high arc. In 2022, after a long break, a real octopus flew again and was collected by the ice master to thunderous applause from the fans. Record: in 1996, a 23-kilogram specimen made it onto the ice and had to be transported away on the Zamboni.

Who has the best beard in the end?

There are many habits, rituals and myths surrounding the "hottest time". But in the end, the question remains: who will have the best beard? "I think Klausi Heigl and Veit Oswald will give me a run for my money in the playoffs. They will certainly develop massive beard growth," says our beard judge Bittner with a grin and dares to make another prediction: "Otherwise, I see Parkesy and MacWilliam far ahead. That would suit the boys very well."

The coming weeks will show who actually wins the race for the most beautiful beard. Perhaps the first quarter-final match against Wolfsburg on Saturday (19:30 | LIVE on MagentaSport and on our blog) will already reveal a small trend.

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Who has the best beard in the end?

The coming weeks will show who actually wins the race for the most beautiful beard. Perhaps the first quarter-final game against Wolfsburg on Saturday (7:30 pm | LIVE on MagentaSport and on our blog) will already reveal a small trend.