Meet the Panther with a recipe for cup success and egg yolk shampoo

There is a lustrous bounce to Chase Pearson's hair that you can only get from an egg yolk treatment. When the 28-year-old Canadian forward flicks his locks back absent-mindedly, it's almost distracting as he seamlessly shifts between talking about hair care, a career that took him briefly to the NHL, the loss of his mother and the prospect of helping Nottingham Panthers reclaim the Challenge Cup for the first time in a decade when they face Coventry Blaze on Wednesday (19:30 GMT). It is with the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) side that Pearson says he has "enjoyed playing hockey more than ever" and where he feels he has been able to be his most authentic self away from the game - quirky social media presence and all.

Pick through his posts and you are greeted with a step-by-step guide to getting "eggstremely nice hair", the benefits of red lights at night, and streams of healthy living and mindfulness advice. "I like to be myself, obviously," he told BBC Sport. "I'm not for everyone and don't want to be for everyone.

Being different is a good thing, right? Or I'd like to think so. " When Pearson got on the ice in the NHL for the Detroit Red Wings in 2022, he emulated his father Scott by playing in the world's most illustrious ice hockey competition.

His father played 292 times in the competition across 13 years, featuring for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Quebec Nordiques, Edmonton Oilers, Buffalo Sabres and New York Islanders. "He was my North Star," Pearson said of his father's influence on his sporting aspirations. "I always knew that I wanted to play in the NHL and that was my aim from age eight or nine.