Sharks' Joe Thornton Shaves His Epic Beard Ahead of 2018-19 NHL Season

A moment of silence for Joe Thornton's beard, please.

Say goodbye to one of the NHL’s best beards.

Sharks center Joe Thornton has been sporting his skunk-striped bush of bristles for a few seasons now, joining defenseman Brent Burns as the league’s most fearsome facial hair duo. As of late Monday night, however, Thornton’s crumb catcher was no more.

Burns tweeted out a photo of himself trimming his teammate’s whiskers, a sad moment for beard lovers everywhere.

End of an era ... start of something special! Lets get it going again 💪 pic.twitter.com/U4yJVxbqKh

— Brent Burns (@Burnzie88) October 2, 2018

Thankfully, teammates Joe Pavelski and Evander Kane were there to memorialize the event and capture the aftermath.

It’s gone!!! pic.twitter.com/WCnSkGXIll

— Joe Pavelski (@jpav8) October 2, 2018

• Sharks Set Sights on Stanley Cup After Erik Karlsson Trade

Younger, faster, stronger, lighter! What a start to the season 🔥 pic.twitter.com/bqlKDgk7m5

— Evander Kane (@evanderkane) October 2, 2018

Thornton’s beard has had its share of attention over the last few seasons, with the former No. 1 draft pick having to explain his care regimen to media during the 2016 Stanley Cup Final.

“In the morning, you’ve got to get up, you gotta oil a little bit, comb it a little bit,” he said. “And then at night you’ve got to take care of it. You gotta oil it, comb it. So, it looks pretty, but it’s hard work. You’ve got to look out for it.”

Maybe the upkeep was too much, or perhaps he didn’t need to have a chunk yanked out during a scuffle again. Either way, it’s going to be a look for Thornton that will take some getting used to.