'I'm committed': Oilers fan skips haircuts for 10 years waiting for Stanley Cup win

A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.

The last time Jeff Ottmeier had a haircut it was 2015.

"I would usually let my hair grow over the winter," Ottmeier said. "That day, I was like, 'OK, I'm not going to cut my hair again until the Oilers win the Stanley Cup.'"

• Complete coverage of the Edmonton Oilers' Stanley Cup Playoffs run

Having worn his hair long in the past, he wasn't worried about it getting a little long.

But he wasn't expecting it to grow for almost a decade.

"Unfortunately, the hair is long, which means we haven't brought home Lord Stanley back to the City of Champions, but I'm hoping this is our year," he said.

Ottmeier said his hair has become a labour of love, and he shares yearly updates with followers on social media.

"There's people that are like, 'We've never seen you without it … when we think of Jeff, we think of the Oilers fan with long hair,'" he said.

Because of his job, caring for his long locks takes a lot of cleaning and maintenance, but Ottmeier said that isn't enough to deter him from his endeavor.

"As you can see by how long it is … I'm committed," he said.

So dedicated, he said, that he's willing to weather a Stanley Cup drought indefinitely.

"I guess I'm gonna start looking like Gandalf," Ottmeier said, adding he's happy he didn't decide to grow his beard too.

"But I mean, the sky's the limit," he continued. "Let's see how long we can go and maybe in a couple of years my hair will be down to the bottom of my waist … and we'll go from there."

If the Oilers do bring home the cup this year, Ottmeier is hoping to put close to a decade of growth to good use.

"If somebody wants to record that, I'm going to shave my head on TV and I want to donate my hair to charity," he said. "(For) anybody with cancer, anyone who possibly needs it."

You can follow the Oilers fan and his hair on X at @oilcountry1979.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Marek Tkach