Brock Boeser is winning new fans every day with his elite goal-scoring and the hope that he brings to the Canucks franchise. Also winning new fans: his hair.
On All-Star Weekend, Boeser鈥檚 flow got almost as much attention as his MVP-Award-winning performance. While Canucks fans are very familiar with his long blonde locks, it was a revelation to some fans and media in the east.
This was particularly the case on social media, as gifs of Boeser flipping or running his fingers through his hair seemed to outnumber those of him shooting the literal lights out in the Accuracy Shooting contest.
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I spoke to one friend of mine whose son just started playing hockey this year. She told me that Boeser is his favourite player and, when she took him in to the barber last week, he asked for 鈥淭he Brock Boeser.鈥�
Boeser smiles and laughs as I relay this story to him. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know how they鈥檙e going to make you 鈥楾he Brock Boeser鈥� unless he grows his hair long,鈥� he says.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 pretty cool, honestly,鈥� he adds. 鈥淚f he wants to 鈥� is his hair long? 鈥� just tell him to keep growing it out.鈥�
Boeser doesn鈥檛 really have any special hair care regimen, like : 鈥淔aberg茅. It's Faberg茅 Organics. Use the shampoo and the conditioner, and when your hair's damp 鈥� it's not wet, okay? 鈥� when it's damp, do four puffs of the Farrah Fawcett spray.鈥�
No, nothing that fancy.
鈥淚 mean, when I do my hair I throw a little gel in it, but not too much,鈥� says Boeser. 鈥淛ust comb it, put some gel in it, mess it around, and slick it back, I guess.鈥�
While Boeser鈥檚 hair is certified fabulous now, it wasn鈥檛 always that way, giving hope to those whose hair is a little more awkward.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know how it came like this,鈥� he says, 鈥渂ecause my hair used to be brutal in high school.鈥�
That鈥檚 hard to believe, but a look back at his high school hockey days reveals a Justin Bieber-esque coif.
While his hair may have taken a while to develop, Boeser was already lighting lamps on the ice and has wasted no time bringing that goal-scoring acumen to the Canucks. Boeser鈥檚 24 goals lead all rookies and put him 8th in the NHL, six back from Alex Ovechkin in the race for the Rocket Richard.
His goal-scoring has slowed recently, however, with just two goals in his last nine games. The Canucks offence as a whole has been maddeningly inconsistent: they have ten goals in the last four games, but were shutout twice.
Looking for offence, Travis Green has started throwing Boeser onto different lines within games, sometimes a different line two or three shifts in a row. While some might suggest that inconsistency in his linemates could affect chemistry, Green thinks pretty highly of Boeser鈥檚 ability to play with anyone.
鈥淚 think he likes to get on the ice as much as he can, I don鈥檛 think he cares who he plays with,鈥� says Green. 鈥淎 lot of times I鈥檓 trying to find chemistry in a game that we鈥檙e chasing and sometimes I鈥檓 trying to double-shift him and put him in a different spot.鈥�
鈥淗e鈥檚 a kid that wants to play, he鈥檚 hungry to play,鈥� he adds. 鈥淗e never once complained about who he plays with and I don鈥檛 expect him to ever complain about that. He鈥檚 a guy that makes other players better.鈥�
Boeser himself doesn鈥檛 take issue with playing on different lines.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 necessarily just me, I think it鈥檚 all the guys,鈥� he says. 鈥淲hen we need a goal, if we haven鈥檛 been generating offence, he switches it up and throws guys together, so it doesn鈥檛 bother me too much. Whoever I鈥檓 going out there with, they鈥檙e great players and skilled guys that can produce offence, so that鈥檚 the way I look at it.鈥�
On Thursday, Boeser is expected to start on a line with the Sedins, as he has in several previous games, but that鈥檚 no guarantee that鈥檚 where he ends up playing for the entire game.
Heading into the game against the Chicago Blackhawks takes Boeser back to his younger days when he was 鈥� and don鈥檛 crucify him for it 鈥� a fan of the Blackhawks.
鈥淚 was a 鈥楬awks fan growing up, along with the Wild,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 was always cheering for them when they were in the playoffs. Getting to watch guys like Toews and Kane growing up was really special, and now getting to play against them is even more special.鈥�
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 care too much about the rivalry,鈥� he adds. 鈥淚 liked a lot of teams in the NHL.鈥�
For kids now who watch him the same way he watched Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, Boeser has some advice.
鈥淔irst of all, just make sure you鈥檙e always having fun, because you don鈥檛 want to get sick of hockey ever,鈥� he says. 鈥淚f you get sick of hockey then that鈥檚 not good. Have fun and make sure you compete and always want to get better.鈥�
