Get Out Your Superstitions - We're Gunna Need All The Help We Can Get
Superstitions, everyone has them. Don’t lie, you know you do.
I’m a goaltender. And, as you know, goalies are batsh!t crazy, especially with superstitions. I’ve toned down my pre-game routine from one that lasted almost 2 days when I played in college, to simply having to listen to the same song while driving to the game and having to stop the last shot in warmups. I’ve become a little saner as I’ve grown older in this respect.
But during the playoffs, I still have a million superstitions when it comes to Red Wings games. I can’t stop myself.
Hit the jump to hear about my and your superstitions regarding the Wings:
In the past, as a 5th grader, I remember I once ripped up around 30 Patrick Roy cards in an attempt to help the Wings out thru voodoo magic. I don’t think it worked that year, but I was doing everything I could to help our boys. And who knows, maybe that was enough to cause the infamous statue of liberty pose in 2002.
Today, my superstitions aren’t long standing ones, but ones that start whenever they win and continue until they lose. I will be wearing the exact same clothes I wore for game two when game five rolls around tomorrow. Where and who we watch the game with depends is affected by superstitions.
When I used to live with Drew in college, the year they won the cup, our neighbors were big Wings fans as well. Whenever Detroit scored, we’d pound on the wall in celebration. They’d respond with a few thuds back. This continued until last year.
I can remember another one that same year: we used to force my friend Phil to watch from the kitchen (this started as a Lions tradition, but has spread to the Wings). So here we are, all on a comfortable couch, except for Phil, who has to strain to see the TV from the kitchen. If things were going well, we’d let him back in, but if things went badly, back in the kitchen he’d go. That’s life.
It, uh, didn't help the Lions much that year.
On the blog, I find myself doing a few things here and there which my or may not help. For a long time, Twig was convinced a pre-game post by him could cause disaster. I stopped saying LGRW last playoffs in my pre-game post after someone noticed that the Wings hadn’t won a game when I had done so. And so it continues, in all aspects of my life.
So, that’s me. Now I ask you, what superstitions do you have?
Well of course I have the wings attire on; I also carry around a few select "lucky" tokens. Whether they work or not, I don't know.
I guess I don't really have any superstitions, but I do try to at least wear a Wings shirt on game days. Some days it don't happen, but I've never really looked into the win/loss ratio vs when I wore them and didn't.
My wife had a slight superstition that started when I left the room once to let the dog out. I came back and the Wings had scored. Thank God I have since proven this to be untrue, so I no longer have to leave so the Wings can score. haha
I can't believe you are all even still here with any hope. It's over. Start looking to next year.
Yes, that is my superstition.... Positivity means a loss. Being negative means you expect the worst so when they fail you aren't disappointed.
I couldn't say this all in the first post or the superstition wouldn't work.
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Maybe I should start a new superstition where I go to Arby's and get the curly fries.....
For me it's wishy-washy. On certain days I can't wear ANYTHING Detroit related (hard since most of my shirts have the Winged Wheel), I have to wear my hair up but not in my cursed pink hair-tie, I have to wear my same earrings, and I can't talk about the game the day of. On other days, I'll wear either my Lidstrom or Datsyuk shirt with my Detroit socks, but then I can't talk about the game 2 days before hand. I change where I sit/stand and if all else fails I stand in the kitchen in the fridge looking at the milk. The kitchen trick works.
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game day snacks must be consumed with chopsticks, particularly goldfish and chex bold flavor party mix.
This season is the first season I could watch games. In the two years before I bought Center Ice this year, the Wings were 1-24-1 in the 26 regular season games I watched in those two years. My superstition became not to watch. Thankfully that didn't happen this year with Center Ice!
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playoff beard.
as for my own hockey games, i wear as much black as i can if i'm playing against a rival. just makes me more hateful. black socks, black underwear, black t-shirt under my jersey.
white tape on my stick blade, except for one strip of black tape by the heal of the blade. just because.
This was my post from last year in regards to the same topic:http://www.nightmareonhelmstreet.com/2011-articles/may/feeling-superstitious-baby.html
Be interesting to see if anyone here commented then and look at how their superstitions have changed.
That's funny, when I saw this write up I thought of last year's post. I posted a reply, but really my superstitions haven't changed, same cup year practice jersey, same planters peanuts (although I must eat the first handful at the same moment the puck drops), same avoidance of certain friend during playoffs.
I do have one new thing though, but it's not really a superstition. I have a friend who has been staying with me, not a hockey fan, but I force him to watch all the games. Whenever anything significant happens revolving around Pekka Rinne (RW goal, big save, etc.) we both chant, "pecker weenie! pecker weenie!". I have my friend to thank for that one, brilliant!
Last year I hit the road to "get some" for Game 4 against the Sharts, missing its entirety. I swore to Drew that, since we won, I'd continue to forego watching until we lost again and that "I may not be able to watch another game until next season." I think I proved my committment to that by foregoing Game 7. Didn't watch a single win nor Gm7 and I'd file that under the "ones that start whenever they win and continue until they lose" sort of superstition you had mentioned. Unfortunately, this season hasn't given me much chance to develop a superstition I can rely on.
Oh and 2008 it was not exercising on gamedays plus drinking a homebrew I'd made during the game. I had 2 left for Game 5 and swore I'd save them for celebration (they were delicious) and after we lost I ended up drinking them both for Gm 6.
As a goalie myself I have deliberately tried to stay away from superstitions. Though usually goals are the fault of my posts and I am sure to let them know that.
I don't have any Wings pregame ones, though I won't wear the same jersey twice if they lost when I last wore it. My datsyuk used to win every game including the one it was bought at, until it started losing games this year and it doesn't get worn.
I have a rally towel from the 07 playoffs that I've used time and time again as my superstition. Put my jersey on at the same time right when the " stayed tuned for redwings hockey, presented by Belle Tire" goes. Grow my playoff beard or what there is of one. Listen to AC/DC on game days.
Finally a post about superstitions! I think I mentioned this in an earlier post, but I watch "fight night at the Joe" and the 2002 game 3 vs Carolina before every game that the Wings face elimination. I also have been known to wear the same clothes as I did during the last game that the Wings won for extra luck. On the way out to the bar to watch the game I listen to "Welcome to Detroit." I made a special song mix for this upcoming game....Im devoting all of Friday to giving the Wings that little extra luck they need to reverse this curse.
on game day, I wear home or away sweater unless theyre coming off a loss, then its a black one until the game starts, then back to home or away. Game day meal is Hot N Ready or Blue cheese & bacon sliders. to wash it down 3 Newcastle Brown Ale, 1 per period. Each one downed before the horn sounds, from beer mugs purchased for this reason. It was a set of 4, so I had to break one. You understand... Ive been doing the beer thing since '97 and have missed on average 6 games a season. I dont plan on stopping anytime soon.
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No hot and ready pizzas, no wings, glass of milk before the game and during intermission, orange slice in the mouth during the pk and lemon slice during pp, bert jersey on for comebacks otherwise evolution of hockey fan shirt. I played goalie in soccer for 15 years (shut up) so I understand completely the pregame insanity that is left sock left shoe right side jersey tuck then reverse and water bottle placement.
Haha man I thought I had some big time superstitions! Damn dude, I admire your dedication.
I've grown a playoff beard every playoff series since 09, didn't grow one in 97, 98, 02 cause I was too young in 08 I couldnt cause of work. I started growing one again this year. Let's just say I'll be shaving today..
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The night of game 2 I had a bar tab or 95$ by 8 PM and then blacked out and drank some weird Gin I found at a party untill I passed out and puked all over myself... This is going to be a long 3 games.
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Every time my girlfriend and I have messed around the Wings have won a game. We have 7 games and no losses on days we've done the horizontal limbo. Including game 2 of the series. That said, it can be done for the next game.
