Yahoo Sports Much Ado About Nothing: Former Ottawa Senator Anthony Duclair Adheres to New York Islanders' Short-Hair Standard
Former Ottawa Senator Anthony Duclair just got the biggest contract of his career this summer, signing a four-year deal worth $14 million with the New York Islanders. That's a pretty good number for a player the Senators walked into free agency in 2020.
Presumably, Duclair is excited to be back playing for his old junior coach, Patrick Roy. Duclair had 50 goals and 99 points in 2013-14, his third and final year of playing under Roy with the Quebec Remparts.
As for Duclair's new GM, Lou Lamoriello, he's suddenly making headlines this week for his old-school expectations and team policies. One of his long-standing rules reads like something out of a military handbook ensuring that every player who plays for him is clean-shaven with short hair. The New York Yankees have a similar policy.
Duclair was completely agreeable and this week he broke out the clippers and took down his dreadlocks. He posted the aftermath on his Instagram account, with a smiley face emoji and a single tear.
Many people on social media were upside down about it, so let tackle it.
I have zero issue with NHL players' hair length or beards. I also have no issue with people who disagree with the policy. But it's a major reach to imply that the policy is harmful or mean-spirited, as we repeatedly saw online this week. It doesn't deserve all the social media pushback it's getting.
Going back to Wayne Gretzky, with his jersey tuck, paper-thin Jofa helmet, blue blades and big number, or Joe Thornton and Brent Burns with their ZZ Top tribute band, some players like do things to stand out individually within the team game.
Lamoriello wants to amplify a team culture, not the individual. Whether he's right or not, he believes this policy helps foster that. That's the sole reason why the policy exists.
Feb 12, 2017; Newark, NJ, USA; San Jose Sharks defenseman Brent Burns (88) and San Jose Sharks center Joe Thornton (19) during the first period of their game against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
The truth is that everyone running a team or business has a policy – written or unwritten – on how they want their team of employees to present themselves at work. Sometimes the goal is to promote professionalism, sometimes it's to promote teamwork, and often it's both.
Some managers will allow for some individual flair, while some prefer things to be more uniform. But everyone has a standard or a line. Where that line is drawn comes down to a matter of opinion.
It's like the NHL dress code of a suit and tie that some teams still have. Even teams that have opted to relax the rule still have a dress code that kicks in somewhere between a nice suit and a Borat thong.
Wherever managers choose to draw that line, they've just created a policy that not everyone will agree with, one that exists for some of the same reasons Lamoriello's policy exists.
And as the Islanders' Brinks truck backed up to his house, Duclair was completely fine with the policy. He literally signed up for it. It also looks like the original image of his haircut that started the online grumbling is no longer on his Instagram.
You might disagree with it, but let's stop with trying to turn Lamoriello's policy into something abusive or mean-spirited. Because it isn't.
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