Hockey Myths & Superstitions: The Weird, the Wacky, and the Ones That Actually Work

"I’m not superstitious… but I am a little stitious." – Michael Scott, The Office

Hockey players are creatures of habit—somewhere between high-performance athletes and mildly unhinged lunatics. We tape our sticks a certain way, put our gear on in a precise order, and eat the same pre-game meal for an entire season because… well, because that’s just how it’s done.

Some of these traditions have been around forever—like not touching the conference championship trophy (because obviously, it decides if you win the Stanley Cup). Others are so ridiculous they make you question whether we’re playing a sport or just engaging in a full-contact science experiment in superstition.

So let’s break it down: Which superstitions are legendary? Which are completely insane? And which might actually help you play better?

1. The Sacred Stick Rituals: Don’t Mess With My Twig

If you ever want to see a hockey player unravel emotionally, mess with their stick before a game.

• The Perfect Tape Job – Full wrap? Toe-drag tape job? Bare blade (a crime against humanity)? Everyone has a preference, and if you change it up mid-season, you’re basically rolling the dice with your career.
• The No-Touch Rule – Some guys won’t let anyone else touch their stick on game day—as if your fingerprints will infect it with bad juju.
• Blades Up – Some players swear if their stick blade touches the ground before warm-ups, they’ll have a terrible game. (Because gravity obviously has opinions on your Corsi rating.)

Personal Take:

I re-taped my stick every period, no exceptions—because fresh tape meant fresh hands (at least, that’s what I told myself). Some guys would swap out their gloves between periods for that dry, fresh-palm feel, while others took things to an entirely different level—getting completely undressed and redressed like they were hitting reset on their entire existence.

2. Pre-Game Rituals: The Fine Line Between Preparation and Madness

There are routines, and then there are rituals that require a full-time handler to execute properly.

• The Same Pre-Game Meal – Chicken and pasta? Pancakes? PB&J? (Goalies probably eat something even weirder.)
• Gear Order Matters – Left skate before right? Shin pads before socks? If you mess up the sequence, are you legally required to start over?
• Warm-Up Quirks – Some players need to be first in line, some last, and some refuse to touch a puck until the game starts.

Personal Take:

 Superstitions are great—until they own you. I’ve seen guys unravel because their pre-game meal wasn’t available or their lucky tape job didn’t feel just right. The whole point of a routine is to create consistency so your brain can focus on playing, not obsessing over whether you tied your skates in the right order. It’s like your hamstrings in skating—superstitions work best when they’re flexible. If they help you prepare and stay dialed in, great. But the second they start controlling you instead of the other way around? That’s when they stop being a tool and start being a crutch.

3. The Playoff Beard: A Tradition Unlike Any Other

• The most famous superstition in hockey—if you shave during the playoffs, you personally just eliminated your team.
• Some guys look like lumberjacks by the Final, others… well, some look like they should be nowhere near a public school parking lot.
• Does it actually work? No. Do we all do it anyway? Absolutely.

Personal Take:

If you’ve got the Joe Thornton silverback gorilla beard, good for you. But if your playoff beard makes you look like a malnourished housecat, maybe just embrace the clean-shaven life.

4. The Dumbest Superstitions That Somehow Exist

At some point, superstition crosses into full-on lunacy.

• Don’t Say “Shutout” – If a goalie has a shutout going, you DO NOT mention it. Ever. Or do… just to mess with them.
• Touching the Conference Trophy – Some players refuse to touch the Prince of Wales or Campbell Trophy, others do. Every year, people debate this like it’s a constitutional crisis.
• Changing Jerseys Mid-Game – I played with a guy who switched jerseys between periods because he thought his first one had “bad luck.” (Shockingly, he still didn’t score.)

Personal Take:

Goalies are the worst offenders. I had one teammate who wouldn’t talk to anyone after morning skate on game day. Dude, are you a starting goaltender or Batman?

5. The Science of Superstition: Does Any of This Actually Work?

Here’s the thing—superstitions don’t actually improve performance, but they do improve confidence.

• Studies show that routines help players feel in control—so your bizarre sock routine might actually help… because your brain thinks it does.
• Mental Edge = Performance Edge – If you believe your pre-game PB&J is the key to a two-goal night, you’ll play with more confidence.

Personal Take:

Some habits are good (mental preparation). Some are pointless (wearing the same jockstrap for a decade). But if it works for you, who am I to stop you from eating a gas station sandwich before every game?

Conclusion: The Superstition Spectrum

 Some superstitions are legendary. Some are flat-out nuts. Most of them? They’re somewhere in between.

Chris Chelios insisted on being the last player to put on his jersey before a game. Jocelyn Thibault would pour water on his head exactly six and a half minutes before puck drop. Joe Nieuwendyk had to eat two pieces of peanut butter toast before every game, while Brendan Shanahan listened to Madonna (because nothing screams game-ready like "Like a Prayer"). Karl Alzner? He took it up a notch, tapping his stick exactly 88 times and tracing a maple leaf outline before the national anthem ended. These rituals might sound ridiculous to outsiders, but for the players, they were as essential as sharpening their skates.

Superstitions serve as mental anchors—comfort in the chaos of competition. But there’s a fine line between preparation and obsession. As Michael Scott so wisely put it, “I’m not superstitious, but I am a little stitious.” Routines help players lock in, but becoming a slave to them can be dangerous. If a missing peanut butter toast or a disrupted tap sequence suddenly throws off your game, was it ever really helping? The best players strike a balance—superstitions should serve you, not control you.

At the end of the day, believe in whatever helps you play better. Whether it’s taping your stick a certain way, wearing the same lucky socks, or making an offering to the hockey gods (à la Pedro Cerrano), if it helps you feel confident, go for it. But before you wrap yourself completely in pre-game rituals, ask yourself—is being superstitious… a superstition?🏒

About the Author

Darrell Hay took his pre-game rituals seriously—maybe too seriously. Chicken Alfredo was the only acceptable meal (because carbs = goals), and no drive to the rink was complete without a Venti Pike Place from Starbucks—because caffeine and gap control go hand in hand. Dressing followed a strict right-to-left order (mess it up, and you were asking for a rough night). When his mom was in the stands, he’d always find her for a thumbs-up—because even the hockey gods respect mom’s approval. And speaking of those gods, he never messed with a streak (Crash Davis would be proud), and always left half a cup of Gatorade in his stall as an offering, Pedro Cerrano-style—because sometimes, you need all the help you can get. Superstitions may not make sense, but when you’re rolling, why risk it?