Blood, Sweat and Beards

Some of you out there may be wondering why, on April 10th, is it snowing here in the great upper mid-west...

...but it is no secret to me.

This is the season for Blood, Sweat and Beards. That's right, it's time for the Stanley Cup Playoff's.

I have been a hockey fan since my dad took me to watch my first prep hockey game in Madison, WI, my home town. He was an art teacher for the district and used to work as a crowd control supervisor for some extra spending cash, and I would get in free to the arena to watch the action both on and off the ice with him. The guys in the score box were his teacher friends who we hunted and fished with, and once in a while, I would get to push the horn button at the end of the period. Too cool!

There really is nothing that I dislike about this sport. The checking, ice flying off skates, a fast game, the blasting goal horn and jumping up and down so much at the score that you squeeze the ketchup and mustard from your 50 cent hot dog through the fingers in your fist... good times.

As part of the pursuit of Lord Stanley's Cup, playoff hockey players keep the tradition of growing their "playoff beards". This year, one of the Minnesota Wild's players, Brent Burns, is keeping a blog to document the development of his scrub growth. Brent Burns' Beard Blog is complete with pictures and should be a good light read for anyone who appreciates facial hair.

Speaking of facial hair, check out that Red Fury...