Hockey is a sport filled with traditions and superstitions, especially during the playoffs.

The NHL season just started, but on this blog we’re already talking about the postseason because that’s when the hard-hitting fellas grow their playoff beards. No one knows exactly when this tradition began (the four-time Stanley Cup-clinching New York Islanders teams of the ’80s tend to get the most credit), but the playoff beard is here to stay.

But not all players grow playoff beards. In fact, two of the sport’s legendary talents didn’t buy into the superstition. Cup-winning captains Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemeiux never grew playoff beards. They knew what recent Cup-clincher Sidney Crosby didn’t know — when you’re awesome and have a babyface you don’t need a beard. Here’s photographic evidence of Sid the Kid’s follicle folly from last year.