Superstitions
Athletes are notoriously superstitious and hockey players may be the most
superstitious of all. They grow beards or don’t cut their hair during
playoffs. They may not change certain pieces of clothing as long as they are
on a winning streak. One year most of the Storm players bleached their hair
for playoffs.
Some players
always put their equipment on in the same order. Some eat the same food
before a game. Some follow the same routine in the hours before a game.
One of our Storm players did
not believe he was superstitious until he realized he always did his on-ice
stretches on the blue line. And how many times during some seasons have we
watched the same Storm player wait until all the players were off the ice
before he left?
But ours
are not the only hockey players with superstitions. The Mad About Hockey
website has a whole section on superstitions. Here are a couple.
Bob Gainey played for the Montreal Canadiens. Then from 1990 to 1995 he was
coach and then general manager of the Minnesota North Stars. Later he was
general manager of the Canadiens. On the topic of superstitions, he said
that, as a player, “In between periods, I always ask for a drink made with
30 percent Coke and 50 percent water. I’ve had this habit ever since I
started to play for the Canadiens.”
Should we believe he has a little trouble with math, or should we just
presume a third ingredient was omitted in that quote?
Ron Hextall was a goalie who began and ended his professional career
(1982-1999) with the Philadelphia Flyers. He said, “I hit the posts and the
crossbar at the beginning of every period and during the intermissions. “
How many times have we seen a Storm goalie do this?
But the players are not the only ones who are superstitious. How many fans
do you know who always wear……(you fill in the blank) to the games? Or wear
the same sweatshirt when we are on a winning streak?
We might ask…How much of what the players do is habit and how much is
superstition? How much of what the fans do is a show of loyalty to the team
rather than superstition?
Also, we might ask…Do any of these actions really affect the outcome of a
game?
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