Each winter Minnesota is home to a sporting a spectacle grander than life itself, and not the state hockey tournament; but instead the hair that comes with it . As the players from each team are introduced, they are given a mere moment to shine as they bestow their precious manes in hopes of making the illustrious All Hockey Hair Team.
Since 2011, Pulltab Productions has compiled footage of the introductions of players with top tier hair and chooses 10 exceptional young men for the team. The unveiling of the All Hockey Hair Team is accompanied by the anonymous narrator’s legendary commentary, which informs viewers on specific hairstyles and demeanor of the hockey players.
2014 was a year for firsts in to realm of hockey hair. Pulltab Productions attempted to assemble a team for the girls, however, sport-wrap and braids seemed to be the only two hairstyles that the girls could come up with. The iconic hockey hairstyles from the 1980s also made an appearance in this year’s edition. Pulltab Productions captures the essence of 8’s in his narration.
“The stuff these guys were doing, it wasn’t ironic. It was real. They really had stripes because they wanted to have stripes. Coaches looked like Keith Hernandez. It was an amazing time.”
“I don’t even know if that moustache color is supposed to match his hair, but I’m glad I’m wondering.”
“Austin, captain. Or is that ‘C’ for coif? Because you look amazing.”
Unfortunately for video producers at the YouTube level, a quality commentary isn’t what commands the public to view a particular video. In this day in age, social media marketing reigns supreme. Pulltab Productions seized the opportunity and decided to use hashtags in his “2014 edition of All Hockey Hair.” This year #OHH (outstanding hockey hair) and #AHH (all hockey hair) made their debut.
“I think hashtags were a sensational idea to promote the video, there are too many people out there who don’t know about hockey hair that should,” senior Derek Striker said.
At the end of the day the “All Hockey Hair” videos serve a purpose higher than mere comic relief. Since they are the first of their kind, they can serve as an educational and information resource to hockey players or anybody who wants to change up their hairstyle to a reflect the times of the 80’s.
“If I could have a do-over on my senior year, the one thing I would choose to do would be grow a mullet so I could play the game I love with style,” senior Andrew Brookens said.
Although the great state of Michigan may be a few decades away from having it’s high school hockey players glorified for their hair, that doesn’t stop its residents from appreciating hockey hair when the opportunity presents itself. Pulltab Productions has made great strides towards getting hockey hair the respect it deserves and it the duty of the patrons of hockey hair to ensure that his work is recognized. If this trend continues, the 2015 edition should be better than ever!
