Greetings my friends! Today is a big day for me.... my favorite hockey team in the entire world, the New York Rangers, play tonight with a chance to advance in the playoffs. Not a big deal you may think, but note the title of this post, and you will be taken on a journey that goes from the ridiculous to the sublime. Mostly ridiculous though.
Athletes are a very superstitious bunch - almost to the point where it is borderline OCD. Baseball fans know the story of Wade Boggs, a tremendous hitter who played for the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, and finished with the Tampa Bay (at the time they were the Devil) Rays. Wade Boggs had the superstition where he would eat the same pre-game meal before every game - chicken. Nothing else. EVER.
There are probably a ton of other stories like that, but I want to focus on fans and the superstitions we have. By fans, I am targeting....me. The cross-hairs are now fully aimed.
Hockey players in general, when their team makes the playoffs, consider it bad luck to shave, therefore growing a "playoff beard." Gillette has actually partnered with the NHL this year to encourage fans to "Grow One For Their Team" and support their team by growing a playoff beard as well. Kind of silly that a razor company would encourage not shaving, but that's another topic for another time. I decided I would join the festivities and grow a playoff beard to support my beloved Rangers. Granted, I have never grown anything more than a little goatee in my life, and on the few occasions I have done that, it usually only lasts a few days, then I get rid of it because it itches like crazy. This time, I started before the playoffs even began. I stopped shaving all together, and pretty soon had a decent growth going. Was I comfortable? No, but the Rangers were playing well and I know that the cosmic forces of my fantastic facial fur were the cause, so I left it alone.
Funny thing happened after about a month. The Rangers started playing badly, and lost a couple of games. Could it be that my scruff of good fortune had run out of luck? I thought so - plus by this time, my wife and daughter wouldn't even kiss me for fear of scratching their faces. So I shaved it off. Completely. I'm talking baby-butt smooth. That night, the Rangers won. Is that the end of the superstitious luncay? Nay nay...not by a long shot.
I ate my dinner in the living room that night to watch the game. Instead of sitting on my couch, I sat on my ottoman, about 3 feet away from the TV. I wore my light colored Rangers jersey, because they were playing on the road. In hockey, the home team wears their dark jerseys and the away team usually wears white, or something very light. My wife was wearing my Rangers cap that I bought at a game earlier this year, so I put on this ridiculous court jester, joker from the deck of cards hat that's red, white and blue with the Rangers logo on it. I don't even remember where we got it, but it worked. I drank one beer as the game started, not out of the bottle, but out of a glass.
So, for the next game which was Game 7 (win and move on, lose and go home), I did the exact same thing - shaved clean, sat on the ottoman, wore the same color as the Rangers were wearing (my dark blue for that game), drank my one beer from a glass, and didn't move from my spot at all while play was going on. They won again, and the player who scored the first goal was Marc Staal - whose jersey I just so happened to be wearing. A pattern was developing.
This past Saturday afternoon, they played again - but as is usual on the weekend, I had a lot of things to do, so I (GASP!) DIDN'T WATCH THE GAME! I also didn't shave that morning. Needless to say, they lost. This can NOT be a coincidence. The balance of the earth's core was off because my 200 pounds was not on my ottoman in my living room, and that HAD to be why they lost.
No taking chances Monday night. Clean shaven, dark blue jersey on (again, my Marc Staal), goofy hat, one beer, eating my dinner in the living room. The Rangers won in overtime - who scored the game winner? MARC STAAL.
If the Rangers win the Stanley Cup, I should get a ring. It is my routine that causes these wins. I'm certain of it.
So friends, are you as hopeless as I am? Do you have favorite teams, and superstitions that you follow because of them? I look forward to reading your comments up until 7:30 - then I must have my dinner in the living room, my Brad Richards Winter Classic jersey on (they're on the road tonight), my one beer and my ridiculous hat. You can see the hat on my Facebook page by the way - it's pretty easy to spot. Comment on Facebook or shoot me a Tweet @billwinters18. Just don't expect a response during the game!!
LET'S GO RANGERS!!!!
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