Bruce Arthur: “Some are old -- the parade around the ice with the Stanley Cup, for instance, which evolved from a brief ceremony where the Cup was simply handed to the team's captain to a full-blown carnival of joy. As well, the post-series handshake line, a picture of sportsmanship, extends back into the mists of hockey. But while handshakes and Cup-raising are lovable symbols, more recent traditions can be a little distasteful to the average fan. From playoff beards to hails of dead rats, traditions have grown slightly less gentlemanly as time has skated by.”

Nice use of the oxymoron sans irony (“Instant playoff tradition”), and how the best tradition (towel waving) was a Vancouver Canucks original. I'm also quite the fan of the Winnepeg Jets' "Whiteout", and thought the Phoenix Coyotes fans displayed a level of class when the tradition continued after the franchise moved there.