Hockey Fights Cancer and Movember: Flyers using mustaches to bring cancer awareness

Best and Worst Mustaches on the Flyers

In raising awareness and sparking a conversation, we do have the opportunity to find out which players look best with facial hair and which ones need to break the razor out immediately. It gives the Flyers the chance to do what every player loves to do and that is trash-talking their own teammates. While picking the players who looked best was a bit more difficult, things were pretty easy when it came to who looked the worst.

"“I think James van Riemsdyk has a pretty tough muzzy too. He showed up with one today. He’s looking like an officer of the law.” Zack MacEwen said. Noah Cates, who was sitting next to MacEwen at the time, also agreed."

Kieffer Bellows had similar feelings about van Riemsdyk but did give him credit for giving it a shot. He, of course, gave a little jab to Cates as well. Bellows also didn’t necessarily think anyone looked the worst and mentioned that those who knew they couldn’t grow one, made the decision not to do it. So a little bit of a diplomatic answer from a player who hasn’t been around the Flyers locker room for a long time. Give him a bit more time, though.

"“Reemer’s is a little tough. I give him credit for trying, but it’s tough. People probably say the same thing about my facial hair. But I’m still better than Catesy.”"

And there are others who will be shaving it once the month comes to an end, but not necessarily because they don’t like it themselves. Sometimes it’s the family members that have to step in and be brutally honest. That was the case with Morgan Frost. Of those who were asked, Frost actually was said to have one of the better mustaches on the team.

And while it’s something that he agreed makes him look a little bit older, it’s his mom that is ready to see it go. So come the end, Frost has said that he will take it down quite a bit. He did joke that maybe he was one of the worst on the team. And for him in general, sometimes it’s just a case of laziness when it comes to growing it out at any time of the year.

"“My mom doesn’t like it, I can tell you that…I actually saw her in Montreal and she was like ‘it’s getting to be a little much.'”"

Frost actually did end up shaving it down before the month ended, as he decided enough was enough. He isn’t the type of guy who enjoys trimming the beard so he went with a full shave to bring back, as his stall mate Max Willman said, “the baby face.” So while some credited him with the best, a few said it no longer counts because he shaved it off early.

Others around the room that ended up drawing praise included MacEwen, who Provorov mentioned has been growing it for the last two years or so. And after Cates decided to shave down to the mustache, MacEwen did say he moved up the list of the best around the room. But he wasn’t willing to give him the title.

Scott Laughton was going to throw himself under the bus as one of the worst. He then decided to jokingly throw a little shade at Cates, however, he did compliment him in the end.

"“I’d throw myself under…maybe Catesy, f— Catesy. Yeah, yeah Catesy, we’ll throw him under the bus. But he does have a nice muzzy too.”"

Kevin Hayes drew a lot of praise, though Laughton did mention he could only grow it up top and not around the sides. Hayes felt this was actually the first time that he’s been able to get a good one going.

"“Honestly this is probably the first time it’s been good. Before it was…I never really thought about it, I never really did it because I couldn’t grow a good mustache. I feel like my time has come.”"

And of course, it wouldn’t be Kevin Hayes if he didn’t have a little trash talk about who had the worst in the room. And he brought up someone that no one else around the locker room mentioned. And that was Carter Hart. While Hayes did give him credit for being willing to do it, it just wasn’t a good look for him.

"“Hartsy usually can’t grow one so this is the best one that he’s had…Hartsy probably should’ve never did it to begin with but he stuck to it so kudos to him. His didn’t actually come out too bad but at the beginning it was bad.”"

With the calendar ready to turn to December, the razors will be coming out for most of these players. But the conversation never ends as cancer has clearly affected this locker room both in the hockey world and outside of it as well. This month was just one way for them to be able to keep the conversation going.