Anthony Duclair is officially an Islander.
Yes, he inked his four-year, $14 million deal with the NHL club earlier this summer, but his initiation to the Islanders was completed this week when the forward chopped off his hair to comply with the rules of president of hockey operations and general manager Lou Lamoriello.
Similar to the Yankees, Lamoriello, 81, has strict guidelines when it comes to players’ looks, particularly their hair and facial hair, as well as their outfits on game days.
Duclair, 28, posted a photo to his Instagram story of piles of his braids on the bathroom counter after chopping them off along with a smiling emoji with a tear running down its eye.
The post was likely meant in jest as he prepares for life with the Islanders, who are coming off a season where they had a first-round playoff exit in their sixth season under Lamoriello’s regime.
The reaction to the post has taken on a life of its own, with comments ranging from somewhat silly to angry.
“Praying for Anthony Duclair. (nothing happened to him he just got a haircut),” @LeafsAllDayy wrote on X.
“A picture is worth a thousand words, and this one speaks volumes about the out-of-touch, unopposed culture of this sport and one of its most revered people,” The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler wrote on the social media platform.
“I get that Anthony Duclair knew full well what signing with a Lou Lamoriello GM’d team would mean for his personal style and hair and was accepting of it,” added another user. “But that doesn’t make such a stupid personal rule any less stupid.”
The Lamoriello rule is a longstanding one for the hockey executive, though the public largely agrees that it feels outdated.
“Do I think it’s a good it’s a good policy? In today’s day and age, probably archaic and stupid and unnecessary,” SportsGrid host and Islanders fan Mike Carver said during a segment of “Ferrall Coast to Coast.”
Duclair is joining the Islanders after spending last season with the Sharks and Lightning.