Until recently, it seems that most professional sports players – regardless of the sport – “sported” short hair. That is, except for hockey players. Somehow, hockey players since – perhaps the late 1970s – have worn long locks.
Perhaps the most interesting of those hairstyles for hockey players has been the mullet. And, without question, Jaromir Jagr has probably had the greatest mullet in NHL history. Still, he wasn’t alone. Others have worn mullets, too.
In this post, I want to share some information about what a mullet is and show some photos via twitter about who has had some of the great mullets of all time.
What’s A Mullet Anyway?
What is a mullet? Apparently, the use of the term mullet to define a hairstyle goes back to the Beastie Boys in 1994. Obviously, the hairstyle itself existed before that, but not the term. In the Beastie Boys “Mullet Head,” the three shout, “Cut the sides, don’t touch the back!”
That’s exactly what a mullet is – long on the back and short on the side.
The History of the Mullett
The Oxford English Dictionary has 12 definitions of mullet, the one that best works is: “a hairstyle with the hair cut short on the sides and in front, but long and flowing down the back neck.” Most dictionaries simply list a mullet is a fish.
No one quite knows for sure the bridge between a fish and the mullet hairstyle. Some think the hairstyle looks sorta like a mullet fish’s fins. Others believe that Icelandic fishermen who were after mullet wore their hair short on top and long in the back to keep their necks warm.
Interesting, but no one knows for certain. However, some who study social movements believe that “mullet” is more than a hairstyle; instead, it’s a way of life – again sort of like a “white trash” thing.
Who in the NHL Wore Mullets”
Obviously, as I noted earlier, the King of NHL mullet-heads was none other than Jaromir Jagr. As can be seen in this photo, he had a style of his own.
As seen below in this tweet, when Wayne Gretzky made the NHL, he sported a great mullet.
But others NHL fans might not remember as mullet-heads. For example, in this photo, Doug Gilmour sports quite a fine mullet.
Here, the great player Ziggy Palffy (from Slovakia) is shown wearing a mullet. Given that Jagr is from the Czech Republic, is it an Eastern European thing? Note in this tweet, the “white trash” connection mentioned before.
The great Montreal Canadiens’ speedster Guy LaFleur was also a mullet-head, as was Scott Hartnell, and Ron Duguay. However, my favorite mullet-head of all-time (and who would have thought it) was The Great One himself, Wayne Gretzky
Current Mullet-Heads in the NHL?
Currently, as far as I know, there are no mullet-heads in the NHL. However, as a long-hair myself, I’m hoping it’s not a thing of the past. Hmmm – who might be next?
More must-reads: