As the 2025 Stanley Cup Final wrapped up, the playoff beards cultivated by players on the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers also reached their peak. Panthers forward Jonah Gadjovich commented on his own impressive growth before their Game 6 victory, noting he`d “just kind of let it roll” for months and didn`t think his wife would tolerate it much longer as it was “kind of gross.”
Both teams were repeat finalists, having faced off the previous season when the Panthers also won the championship. Gadjovich observed that some players` beards had even improved since last year.
Now, it`s time to recognize the most notable beards from the Stanley Cup Final with our `facial foliage awards.`
Best Viking Beard: Mattias Ekholm, Oilers
Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm, a 35-year-old native of Sweden, sported a beard that evoked images of Viking warriors sailing through fjords. His appearance inspired a group of Edmonton fans known as `The Dancing Ekholms,` who attended games in horned helmets, kilts, and war paint, creating a lively atmosphere. When Ekholm returned from injury during the playoffs, they displayed a poster declaring `RETURN OF THE VIKING WARRIOR` accompanied by a photo of him wearing a horned helmet.
Best Taunting Beard: Jonah Gadjovich, Panthers
Panthers center Jonah Gadjovich boasted one of the most impressive, thick beards on the team. He strategically deployed its full potential in Game 3 against the Oilers to mock an opponent. After a scuffle where Darnell Nurse of the Oilers unusually stuck his tongue out, Gadjovich, despite a bloodied nose from the fight, mimicked the gesture, his tongue reaching his substantial beard, captured clearly by cameras. This memorable moment even made its way onto a team store T-shirt.
Best Grooming Model Beard: Jake Walman, Oilers
Oilers defenseman Jake Walman presented an aspirational beard. It`s the kind you`d see as the `after` shot in a men`s grooming product ad: lush, dark, and perfectly complementing his face. It looks ready for a photo shoot worthy of King Leonidas. Excellent work, Jake Walman.
Best `Effort` Beard: Anton Lundell, Panthers
Panthers center Anton Lundell has been striving to grow a substantial playoff beard during the team`s last three runs to the Stanley Cup Final. As a 21-year-old in 2023, he still looked rather clean-shaven after several playoff rounds, lamenting at the time, “This is all I got right now. Not much I can do about it.” Fast forward to 2025, and Lundell has… well, not a full beard, but definitely something. Perhaps best described as a chinstrap? Regardless, we commend the effort, even if the growth isn`t spectacular.
Best Goalie Beard: Stuart Skinner, Oilers
Could Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner`s voluminous beard stop a slap shot on its own? It`s a hypothetical sports science question he likely wouldn`t want to test (hence the mask), but the sheer possibility speaks to its density. It`s the beard of a man who has witnessed significant events. Given Skinner`s challenging playoff journey—being temporarily benched in the first and final rounds before regaining his position—its `world-weary` appearance feels perfectly fitting.
The Quintessential Brad Marchand Beard: Brad Marchand, Panthers
Brad Marchand possesses the perfect Brad Marchand beard. It`s somewhat scraggly and uneven, but it suits him. The presence of gray hairs highlights his status as a 37-year-old NHL veteran. This is a beard that doesn`t interfere with his constant verbal jabs at opponents and frames his face appropriately when he`s shrugging off repercussions. Crucially, it`s a beard that won`t turn into a frozen mess when Marchand and his Panthers teammates are enjoying pregame Dairy Queen Blizzards.
Beard of the Year: Sam Bennett, Panthers
Jonah Gadjovich suggested that teammates like defenseman Aaron Ekblad and AJ Greer had beards potentially worthy of `beard of the year` on the Panthers. However, only one player managed to pair a top offensive performance in the playoffs with exceptional facial hair. No, not Leon Draisaitl of the Oilers, although the leading scorer`s `vollbart` (German for `full beard`) was a strong contender for the `beard of the year` title.
The ultimate winner is Sam Bennett of the Panthers.
Bennett led the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs in goals. He was a key factor in the Panthers reaching the final again, delivering crucial plays on the road and engaging in physical contests that sometimes bordered on the edge of the rules. But even if some opposing fans feel he bends the rules on the ice, there`s no cutting corners on his playoff beard. Compare its appearance in the first round against Tampa Bay to the final product in the Stanley Cup Final, where it looks like he`s got the Lorax living on his face. Congratulations to Bennett, his magnificent beard, and any small creatures currently residing within it.
