A History of the Iconic Hockey Hair: The Flow

Every sport has a look. Baseball has the eye black. Basketball has the sneakers. Hockey has the hair.

Call it flow, lettuce, salad or cabbage. When it's done right, it pours out the back of a helmet like it's trying to escape. It's been around for as long as the game has been on TV, and it isn't going anywhere. Here's how hockey hair became one of the most recognizable looks in sports, and why the guys who rock it take it so seriously.

What Is "Flow" in Hockey?

Flow is hockey slang for long hair that sticks out from the back and sides of a player's helmet. The longer and wavier it is, and the more it moves when he skates, the better the flow.

The hockey dictionary has plenty of synonyms:

Flow: The all-purpose term. "Kid's got great flow."
Lettuce / salad / cabbage: Same idea, greener vocabulary. A big head of lettuce is a compliment.
Wings: Hair that curls out over the ears from under the helmet.
Hockey hair: Usually means the mullet, especially in Canada. Business in front, party in the back.

If you've ever heard someone in a rink lobby say "look at the salad on that guy," now you know they mean it as high praise.

The Helmetless Era: Where the Flow Was Born

For most of hockey history, nobody wore helmets. Players skated bareheaded through the 1950s, '60s and most of the '70s, so their hair was right out there for every fan in the building to see.

That's when hockey hair became part of the show. The most famous example is Guy Lafleur, "The Flower," flying down the right wing at the Montreal Forum with his blond hair streaming behind him. For a generation of kids, that's what speed looked like. Ask anyone who watched the '70s Canadiens, and they'll tell you about the hair before the stats.

On Broadway, Ron Duguay took it a step further. His flowing curls made him a New York celebrity in the late '70s and early '80s, and he became as famous for his look off the ice as for anything he did on it. Hockey players had become style icons.

The Helmet Rule Changed Everything (Sort Of)

In 1979, the NHL made helmets mandatory for players entering the league after June 1 of that year. Veterans who were already in the league were grandfathered in and could keep going bareheaded. The last of them, Craig MacTavish, played without a helmet until he retired in 1997.

You'd think helmets would have killed hockey hair. They did the opposite. With the top of the head covered, the action moved to the back. The hair that poured out from under the helmet became the new signature, and the modern "flow" was born.

The Mullet Era: Business in Front, Party in the Back

If the '70s were about flowing manes, the late '80s and early '90s belonged to the mullet. Short on top and sides, long in the back, and perfectly built for a helmet.

Hockey and the mullet were made for each other. The helmet hides the business, and the back of the neck runs the party. Locker rooms across the NHL, the minors and every junior league in Canada were full of them.

The most iconic hockey mullet belongs to Jaromir Jagr, who showed up in Pittsburgh in 1990 with a curly masterpiece that's still the gold standard. Coach and broadcaster Barry Melrose made his mullet such a trademark that it outlasted entire eras of hockey. In Canada, "hockey hair" and "mullet" still mean the same thing.

Why Do Hockey Players Have Long Hair?

There's no official answer, but here's what you'll hear in any dressing room:

Tradition. Long hair connects today's players to the legends they grew up watching.
Identity. Under a helmet, cage and visor, everyone looks the same. Flow is how you stand out.
Superstition. Plenty of players skip a haircut while they're on a hot streak. Nobody wants to be the guy who cut his hair and lost his scoring touch.
It just looks fast. Hair blowing back on a breakaway makes a player look quicker. That's not science, but every hockey fan agrees.
It's fun. Hockey takes itself seriously on the ice. The hair is where it lets loose.

The All-Hockey Hair Team: Flow Goes Viral

Hockey hair got a whole new audience in the early 2010s, when broadcaster John King started putting out his All-Hockey Hair Team videos from the Minnesota State High School Hockey Tournament. Every year, King showcases the best flow, mullets and lettuce in the tournament as each player's name comes up on screen, set to a soundtrack and some of the best commentary in sports.

The videos took off and pulled in millions of views from people who'd never watched a high school hockey game in their lives. Being named to the team became a badge of honor, and the grooming started months before the tournament. If you want to see where hockey hair culture lives right now, look there.

Hockey Hair Today

Flow is alive and well. Watch any junior, college or beer-league game and you'll see it pouring out from under the helmets. The mullet has made a full comeback and shows up in more NHL locker rooms every season. And every spring, the playoff beard joins the flow for a few weeks of full-on hockey style.

Trends come and go. Hockey hair stays.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does "flow" mean in hockey?

Flow is hockey slang for long hair that sticks out of the back of a player's helmet.

What is "lettuce" in hockey?

Lettuce, salad and cabbage all mean flow: long, full hair coming out of the helmet.

When did the NHL require helmets?

Helmets became mandatory for players who entered the NHL after June 1, 1979. Craig MacTavish was the last player to skate without one, until he retired in 1997.

What is the All-Hockey Hair Team?

It's a viral video series by John King that celebrates the best hair at the Minnesota State High School Hockey Tournament.

Why is the mullet called "hockey hair"?

It's been so popular with hockey players since the 1980s, especially in Canada, that the two names became interchangeable.