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Every November, men around the world put down the razor and grow mustaches for Movember, to raise awareness for men's health. Hockey players have never needed an excuse. And before anyone starts growing, we owe a salute to the man who set the standard.
The Mustache
Lanny McDonald was born in Hanna, Alberta, in 1953 and played 16 NHL seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Colorado Rockies, and Calgary Flames. He could score, but what made him instantly recognizable, in any arena and on any hockey card, was the mustache: a big, bushy, red walrus mustache that became as famous as the man wearing it. In hockey slang, it's the ultimate lip sweater.
The Storybook Ending
The 1988-89 season was McDonald's last, and it ended like a movie script. He reached 500 career goals with only four games left in the regular season, cutting it closer than anyone else who has hit the milestone. Then, as a co-captain of the Flames alongside Jim Peplinski, he got one more chance at the Stanley Cup.
Calgary met the Montreal Canadiens in the Final. In Game 6, at the Montreal Forum, McDonald scored the Flames' second goal, and Doug Gilmour added two more to clinch the Cup. McDonald retired a champion, mustache and all. Calgary retired his No. 9 in 1990, and he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1992.
The mustache was never the whole story, though. McDonald won the Bill Masterton Trophy in 1983 for perseverance and dedication to hockey, and the King Clancy Trophy in 1988 for leadership and community work, honors that say as much about him as his goal totals.
About That Photo
The photo above was taken at the Hockey Hall of Fame Legends Classic in Toronto in 2011, where McDonald, the mustache by then turned white, was chatting with Kerry Fraser. Fraser was one of the referees of the 1989 Stanley Cup Final, the series where McDonald won his only Cup. Twenty-two years later, the two were still on the ice together.
Grow Your Own: The Best Of: Best Lip Lettuce
Here's where you come in. We're launching our first-ever photo contest, The Best Of: Best Lip Lettuce, to crown the best hockey mustache. Here's how it works:
November 1: Start growing. That gives you all of Movember to get it right.
November 20 – December 1: Submit a photo of your finest lip lettuce on our contest page.
December 1 – 7: Public voting. Rally your teammates.
December 8: The winner is announced and joins our Hall of Fame.
The contest is open to adults 18 and older, and every entry is reviewed before it appears. The contest page goes live November 1. Follow us on Facebook or Instagram so you don't miss it.
Growing your first serious mustache? A little mustache wax helps train it into shape, just in time for voting. Shop mustache wax →
The Hockey Gods isn't affiliated with the Movember Foundation, but we're big fans of the cause. If you're growing for men's health, you can learn more at movember.com.