"Trying to fit in": Oilers' Connor Brown explains why he shaved his beard
Edmonton Oilers forward Connor Brown has a new look.
Eagle-eyed Oilers fans might have noticed that Brown looked a little different during Tuesday night’s 6-1 victory over the Nashville Predators.
The 29-year-old Toronto native came to Edmonton sporting an orange beard but has apparently decided to shave it off. This is a new development as it remained intact during Saturday night’s Afterhours segment on Hockey Night in Canada.
However, when he took to the ice at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville a few nights later, there wasn’t a hair in sight on Brown’s face.
i relate 2 connor brown pic.twitter.com/LjleX8Muhp
— mii (ć(ā¢Ģįµ„įµ„ā¢Ģ)ć) (@RyanMcLeoder) October 18, 2023
Apparently, this was the result of Brown being demoted down to the Oilers’ third line, where he was playing with Ryan McLeod and Dylan Holloway.
At least, that is what he told Oilers reporter Tony Brar in a pre-game interview in Philadelphia on Thursday morning.
Asked Connor Brown why he decided to shave his beard right before the game on Tuesday:
āI was on the kid line. I was just trying to fit in.ā #Oilers
— Tony Brar (@TonyBrarOTV) October 19, 2023
He isn’t wrong. McLeod is 24 while Holloway turned 22 last month, making them the two youngest forwards on the Oilers. Both of them are clean-shaven to start the season.
Hopefully, that youthful energy can rub off on Brown, as he’s coming off a major knee injury in Washington that limited him to just four games last season. The Oilers signed him to a bonus-heavy contract in the offseason with the hope that he could rekindle some chemistry with former Erie Otter teammate Connor McDavid.
It hasn’t been a seamless transition. He spent the first two games of the season riding shotgun with McDavid but was unable to get on the scoresheet. He was then shuffled down to the third line against Nashville but was still held scoreless.
Brown isn’t the only Oilers player off to a slow start. Evander Kane has only been able to score one assist in three games despite playing heavy minutes with both McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
We’ll see if Brown can rediscover his scoring touch tonight as the Oilers are in Philadelphia to take on the Flyers at 5:30 pm MT on Sportsnet One.