The San Jose Sharks opted to go helmetless during warmup against the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday.

The old-time look was a fan favorite as many Sharks players sport good lettuce, flow, or insert any other hockey slang for hair. Will Smith got the special slow-mo look on the team’s social media page, and was a good choice too.

The Golden Knights would end up winning 4-3 for their ninth consecutive regular-season win over the Sharks. Despite that, the team got some juice from it.

“It was a team decision,” Smith said after the game. “It was Saturday night in Vegas, so all the guys were pretty easy (to sell on it).”

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For obvious reasons, San Jose Sharks goalies Yaroslav Askarov and Alex Nedeljkovic didn’t participate in the bucketless warmup. Nedeljkovic still had fun with it as he got warmed up by his squad.

“Just to have a little bit of fun. It’s a fun city. Everyone wants to have a good time. Maybe play with a little bit of swagger,” Nedeljkovic said. “Everybody feels good with the hair flowing and all of that. I thought it was fun. Maybe we’ll do it again, who knows?”

While it was a good time, the NHL does have a rule about who can warm up without a helmet.

Rule 9.6 states that “it is mandatory for all players who entered the NHL beginning with the 2019-2020 season or later to wear their helmet during pre-game warmup. To be clear, all players who entered the League prior to the 2019-2020 season and who are currently playing are exempt from this mandate.”

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Per NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly, the San Jose Sharks avoided any league-supplemental discipline for going bucketless.

“We intend to send a reminder to Clubs regarding our collectively bargained rule requiring helmet use during warmup,” Daly wrote in an email to Bay Area News Group. “I don’t anticipate that San Jose will be singled out or disciplined.”

There are rumors and reports on social media suggesting the San Jose Sharks were fined $40,000 for breaking rule 9.6, but that appears to be false.

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