While going through my morning ritual of watching the post-game interviews on the Philadelphia Flyers website, I got to thinking how handsome and professional they all look in their suits, and with their teeth in.

Then I started thinking about how easy it would be to just not give a shit… especially after a loss, which unfortunately, has been happening quite a lot to my precious Broadstreet Bullies this shortened season. How much more convenient it would be after a game to just throw on a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt, jump on the bus to the hotel, take a 45 minute long shower while replaying the highlights and lowlights (is that a word?) from the game you just played. Letting the hot water wash all of your troubles and mistakes down the drain as you think about smashing Sidney Crosby’s teeth out the next time you meet (hypothetically). Crawling into the fetal position on your king sized bed and rocking yourself to sleep as you consider all of the failures in the game you just played.

But no… these guys… these spectacular athletes who occasionally like to beat the living crap out of each other, don’t go that route. No… these tough guys play the classy card and not only get dressed up in their super sophisticated, tailor-made finest BEFORE the game, when it would be so simple to just show up in work out clothes since you are going straight from the bus, to the locker room, and into your uniform and 7 million pads, but also AFTER the game.

They go from this:

To this:

From this:

To this:

And from this:

To this:

Can you name another sport where a bunch of men can go from homicidal maniac to classy in a matter of a shower? Me neither. I researched it today. Baseball has no dress code, nor does basketball, soccer or football. Even the coaches in the NHL are dressed to impress, able to go from this:

To this:

Although in fairness, it did take me a while to find a picture of Peter Laviolette smiling. He usually looks like the Dad from The Wonder Years, who is generally, never amused.

Anyway, my point is, just because your sport involves smashing people into boards, a penalty called “slashing”, and probably getting fitted for dentures before you even set skate on the ice, it doesn’t mean that these, the sexiest and manliest of all the athletes in this blogger’s personal opinion, can’t also be gentlemen.

You stay classy, NHL.