The Sportsish Superstisions Breakdown: NHL Edition
We all know athletes are superstitious, whether it’s eating the same meal before a game, putting on their gear the same way every time, or even vomiting before a game. However, hockey players are a whole other beast. NHL hockey players do whatever it takes to be the best on the ice, dedicating years and years of training, even if that means doing some unusual rituals to clinch their performance. These quirky superstitions can be personal to a player or a tradition that the whole team participates in. We all know the rule: when you’re winning, don’t change a thing! Whatever works, right?
William Nylander and the Playoff Suit
While it's usually a fashion faux pas to re-wear an outfit, during the playoffs, before the Toronto Maple Leafs lost round 2 of the series to the Florida Panthers, William Nylander wore the same pregame suit three games in a row, and in all three games, he scored! Nylander, also dubbed Willy Styles for his great fashion sense, donned a beige suit and white dress shirt to game 6 in round 1 against the Ottawa Senators, where they won their 4th game in the series and moved on to round 2 of the playoffs, and game 1 and game two against the Florida Panthers.
(Photos via Getty Images: Collage by Gabe Conte via GQ)
While Nylander may be an outfit repeater, so is the Disney Channel icon Lizzie McGuire! So wear your suit as many times as you like, Willy; we still love ya!
(The Lizzie McGuire Movie via Disney)
Fear the Playoff Beard
Easily, one of the most recognizable hockey superstitions is the playoff beard. Every player on the 16 playoff teams doesn’t shave, letting their beards grow out. Started by the New York Islanders in the 1980s during their 4 consecutive Stanley Cup wins (the ultimate proof the playoff beard works), the playoff beard is now a staple in the hockey community and the NHL. Hockey fans and video game players have advocated for the playoff beard to be an added feature in the newest versions of the EA Sports NHL video game series. So, the general consensus is that the playoff beard works every time. Every winning team can vouch for that. It’s tried and true!
Don’t Touch the Trophies!
For the Conference winners moving on to the Stanley Cup Finals, touching the conference championship trophies is said to be a jinx. You want to lift the Stanley Cup? Do. Not. Touch. The same applies to touching the Stanley Cup itself; players who haven’t won the trophy in the past will not touch the Cup. No one wants to risk it for the biscuit, coincidentally ‘biscuit’ being a slang term for a hockey puck, and rightfully so. Even retired players won’t touch it; PK Subban, we’re looking at you.
Sid the Kid? More Like Sid the Superstitious
Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins captain, is one of the most superstitious players currently on the ice. He’s not just a perfectionist on the ice but off as well, specifically with his hockey sticks. Sid is meticulous with his sticks; each stick is taped in a specific way every time, and the tape is cut to the same length every time, handled only by him. Once the sticks are taped, they cannot be touched. If they are, Crosby will fully re-tape them. He’s not done; he doesn’t talk to his mother on game days; why? Well that’s because the three times he has, he was injured. After a dislocated shoulder, broken foot, and some shattered teeth, who can blame him?
Sid also has some other little quirks before games. He won’t pass by the opposing team’s locker room; instead, he’ll go around. When on the road and the Penguins' bus crosses railroad tracks, you’ll find him lifting his feet to touch the bus windows. When all is said and done, you can count on Sid to be as consistent off the ice as he is on it.
Sidney Crosby (Photo via Pittsburgh Post Gazette)
Patrick Roy and his Goal Posts
Patrick Roy, arguably one of the greatest goalies the league has ever seen and currently the head coach of the New York Islanders, has a superstition that is almost as iconic as he is. Patrick would talk to his goalposts, a full-on Beauty and the Beast moment. Like Tom Hanks in Castaway, the four-time Stanley Cup winner would have conversations with the goal. He said it improved his game, knowing that they were on his side, literally and figuratively. Something about talking with them, encouraging them, scolding and soothing them, essentially having a relationship with his goal, gave him an edge, an extra incentive to protect it. Some people have emotional support animals, some people have blankets, and he has his goalposts. According to him, they talk back.
Patrick Roy (Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images via NHL)
The Red Wings and the Octopi
Throwing an octopus on the ice? For the Detroit Red Wings, it’s a sign of good luck! Back in 1952, the Red Wings needed 8 wins for the Cup. The Legend of the Octopus was started by fish market owners Pete and Jerry Cusimano, who decided to take octopi and throw them on the ice, the 8 tentacles symbolizing the 8 wins the team needed to take home the Cup. Low and behold, the Red Wings won the 1952 Stanley Cup. Since then, chucking an octopus on the ice has become an honored superstition and tradition for the Red Wing fandom.