Nashville Predators forward Luke Evangelista took a seat in front of his locker stall Thursday at Centennial Sportsplex, leaned his head back and closed his eyes.

A hand on each cheek, Evangelista began to scratch the blossoming patches of black hair.

"A little more itchy than I'm used to," the usually clean-shaven 21-year-old, also known as Pretty Boy Vincenzo, said. "But I'll get used to it."

On your mark, get set, grow.

It's that time of year, time for NHL playoff beards, a tradition that dates to the early 1980s.

More on that later.

"I have Italian in my bloodline, so I can get a decent beard going," Evangelista continued. "Hopefully we can get on a good run here and I can show everyone what I'm capable of."

The Predators continue that run Friday night when they face the Vancouver Canucks in Game 3 of the first-round NHL playoffs series at Bridgestone Arena. The series is tied 1-1.

Are there rules pertaining to the playoff beard?

Evangelista said he has been asking some of the older guys on the team the "playoff beard rules."

"I've heard I'm allowed to trim the neck a little bit," he said. "If we get going a couple of rounds, I might touch it up a little bit."

When asked who has the worst playoff beard on the team, Evangelista instantly pointed to his right, at Cody Glass.

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"Shut up," Glass said with a laugh. "I'm so patchy."

So, Cody, if your beard isn't the worst, whose is?

"Big Mac," Glass said, referring to 6-foot-6 teammate Michael McCarron. "I just don't think he can grow one."

Glass turned his attention back to Evangelista.

"Are all the girls freaking out because you're growing a beard now?" he asked. " 'Who is this guy?' "

Who has the best playoff beard on the Nashville Predators?

Nashville Predators alternate captain, Stanley Cup champion and playoff beard aficionado Ryan O'Reilly's facial fur received high praise from many. Newcomer Jason Zucker, forward and worst-dressed Predators player Tommy Novak and defenseman Dante Fabbro, too.

O'Reilly regularly wears a beard, though. So the playoffs mean he can be a bit lazier about maintaining it — neck beard and all.

"I got some scars underneath here I don't want to see," he said. "Just kind of let it go for the (playoff run). It's a cool tradition."

"I'm normally a guy who likes to trim up my beard," Zucker said. "I haven't touched it yet."

Who started the NHL playoff beard tradition?

Depends on who you ask.

Hockey historian, former journalist and seven-time Emmy Award winner Stan Fischler claims a pair of Hockey Hall of Famers and longtime New York Islanders came up with the idea in 1980.

Fischler said left wing Clark Gillies pulled defenseman Denis Potvin off to the side during practice one day and presented his proposal.

"Clark says, 'Listen, I got an idea. Why don't we all grow beards as the playoffs start?' " according to Fischler.

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Fischler told the story last year on The Hockey News' website in a segment called "Fischler's Follies."

"Deni said, 'Why?' " Fischler continued. "And Clarke said, 'Because it will bring camaraderie to the team. All the guys will have beards and it will be like the House of David baseball team, where all these guys had beards."

Potvin was up for it. Four rounds of playoff hockey later, the bearded New York Islanders won their first Stanley Cup, the first in a string of four in a row.

Or did the Detroit Red Wings start the playoff beard tradition?

A trio of NHL All-Stars playing for the Detroit Red Wings also have been credited with starting the tradition — or at least the first "documented" case of the tradition — in a Feb. 3, 1985 story by Detroit Free Press reporter Bernie Czarniecki.

Forwards Ivan Boldirev and Danny Gare grew beards in an attempt to inspire their team to win four games in a row.

Defenseman Brad Park eventually joined them and gave the tradition its name when he referred to his scruff as his "playoff beard."

Paul Skrbina is a sports enterprise reporter covering the Predators, Titans, Nashville SC, local colleges and local sports for The Tennessean. Reach him at pskrbina@tennessean.com and on the X platform (formerly known as Twitter) @paulskrbina. Follow his work here.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: NHL playoffs mean playoff beards. The Predators who have best, worst