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Superstitions or Routine?

Written by: Tyler Bodman on 6th June 2009

Superstitions or Routine? | read this item

Detroit, MI — Although most of them don’t like to admit it, hockey players are by nature a superstitious bunch.

After the morning skate, before game five, I was able to catch up with a few the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins players to talk about some of their superstitions.

For the Detroit Red Wings, a veteran laden team that has had a tone of success over the years, they claim to be very non-superstitious. But when I dug a little deeper I quickly realized that they’ve changed the term superstitious to routine.

“We don’t really have any superstitious guys,” said back-up goalie Ty Conklin. “Everybody does their own routine, their way. “

Let’s stop right there and have a look at what the actual definition of superstitious is: A belief or notion, not based on reason or knowledge, in or of the ominous significance of a particular thing, circumstance, occurrence, proceeding, or the like.

So Ty, you have a “routine” that you like to stick to every game, thinking that it will help you play better?

“I’m actually not overly superstitious,” continued Conklin. “It’s a misconception because I’m a goalie. I do some things between periods. I’m always moving around, I take all my gear off, I tape my stick and come back and put my gear on. I dress fast so I feel like I can do that.”

Hmm, that’s interesting. That certainly sounds pretty superstitious to me. Wings’ forward Kirk Maltby agrees that Conklin is very superstitious.

“He’s a goalie he’s supposed to be,” said Maltby with a laugh and a nod towards Conklin. “I wouldn’t say all goalies though because I don’t think [Osgood] is that bad but I think [Conklin] has some sort of system. We’ve gone all year and I’m still not sure exactly what it is. But, he’s got something going on.“

Maltby corrects me with the difference between superstitious and routine.

“I’m basically a routine guy. There is a big difference between routine and superstitions. If something that I normally do or if I’m getting prepared for a game and something doesn’t happen I don’t have to knock on wood or tap on something to counter it.“

Maltby also doesn’t believe in changing his routine if he’s had a few poor games or losses in a row.

“I’m a big believer that you just stay the course. You’re going to have some ups and downs and it’s just a matter of how you deal with them.“

Wings’ defenseman Brad Stuart also has his own “routine” that he likes to keep. However if things go south he’s ready to make any changes necessary to help the team win.

“The one superstition that I do change if we lose is that I’ll change my shirt,” said Stuart with a childish smile. “If we keep winning I keep wearing the same [dress] shirt. It’s the one superstition that I’ll change if we lose.”

Even Wing’s coach Mike Babcock is a little superstitious. Tonight he may break out his lucky McGill University tie.

“Well, I’m getting a lot of pressure to do that, I can tell you,” said Babcock this morning. “I got so many emails, there’s like 34 of them.”

Then there’s the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Backup goalie Mathieu Garon, who joined the team later in the season from Edmonton, says that the Penguins are a “really superstitious team.”

“Personally I’m not really but I’m just getting into it with the guys,” said Garon. “I think that in the playoffs, lately we have our things. We try to do the same things every time. When it’s not working we’re looking for something else.“

The consensus in the Pens locker room was that their captain, Sidney Crosby, is far and away the most superstitious player they have ever played with.

“Sidney is pretty superstitious,” said hulking defenseman Hal Gill. “But it’s more stupid things, like going over the train tracks he touches a screw and lifts his feet … I don’t know, stupid things like that.”

“He likes to keep things the same,” added forward Tyler Kennedy. “It works for him. Going around garbage. Simple stuff like that.”

Crosby’s line mate Chris Kunitz was quick to jump to Sid’s defense.

“Everybody has their own little quirks,” he said. “From drinking with your left hand or only putting your mouth guard in with a certain hand or whatever it may be everybody has their own thing.”

Kunitz also pointed out that while it’s ok to keep a routine you can’t be overly concerned if something doesn’t happen in your day.

“If you’re too superstitious I think that it might play on you sometimes.“

Gill is of the opposite opinion. He needs his routine to be the same every single day.
“I do every thing pretty much the same,” he said while sitting in his locker stall. “That way every day is ground hog day. If something happens throughout the course of the day that is out of the ordinary, you sometimes go back and do that same thing over again.”

So, what did I learn out of all of this?

Each player has their own routine they like to stick to. Some change it up if they’re slumping others maintain status quo.

As Mark Eaton told me “To each his own. Whatever works for that individual.”

Topics: Brad Stuart, Chris Kunitz, Detroit Red Wings, Hal Gill, Kirk Maltby, McGill University, Mike Babcock, Pittsburgh Penguins, Sidney Crosby, Stanley Cup finals, Ty Conklin