NHL’s Anthony Duclair Forced to Cut Hair, Trim Beard Per Team Rules

A new hockey team for Anthony Duclair means a new set of grooming rules.

The former San Jose Sharks forward officially became a New York Islander when he trimmed his beard and cut his hair to comply with the rules of the team’s general manager Lou Lamoriello.

On Thursday, August 22, Duclair, 28, shared a photo of his dreadlocks after he got a major haircut. He added a smiling face with tears emoji.

Lamoriello’s rules for his players include no facial hair, no long hair (past the collar) and no jewelry including necklaces and earrings. Jackets and ties must be worn to games and on the team bus or plane.

The rule is similar to one that the New York Yankees have in the MLB. Since 1976, Yankees players’ hair must not touch their collar. Players can have a mustache, but no other facial hair is allowed.

While Lamoriello’s rules are nothing new, many social media users spoke out about Duclair’s haircut after he posted a photo via his Instagram Story.

Anthony Duclair has officially entered Lou Land and the Islanders ✂️

📸: aduclair10/IG pic.twitter.com/KLvNuzv3NO

— Spittin’ Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) August 22, 2024

“I get that Anthony Duclair knew full well what signing with a Lou Lamoriello GM’d team would mean for his personal style and hair and was accepting of it,” one user wrote on X. “But that doesn’t make such a stupid personal rule any less stupid.”

Former NHL player Jordan Schmaltz, however, had a different perspective about the guidelines.

“Like, love or hate him, Lou Lamoriello is an old school Providence gangsta that operates under strict Catholic boarding school like rules and regulations that must be followed by all team members. Clean cut, clean shaven, suit and tie on travel days it’s very military like,” he wrote via X on Thursday. “Don’t like it? Don’t sign there or ask to be moved. It’s pretty simple. And while we’re at it, I’d shave my bush, face, chest, legs and wax my eyebrows if Lou wanted me to. Hell I’d get a Brazilian wax job. The full Nelson. In exchange for all of that, he gives his players tons of benefits and cares deeply for them.”

Duclair’s style is only one aspect that fans admire about the NHL player. In addition to signing a reported four-year, $14 million deal with the Islanders, the athlete is the founder of The Anthony Duclair Foundation.

The nonprofit’s mission is to ensure that underserved communities are granted safe and equal access to playing hockey in North America.

“Because of the current systematic barriers that prevent certain communities from participating in organized hockey, many of them will never get the opportunity to participate or be exposed to the game,” the organization’s website states. “We are committed to inspiring a new generation of hockey players and hockey fans by building the game’s reputation and making it accessible from both a cost and culture perspective at the grassroots level.”