{"product_id":"hockey-superstitions-isbn-9780771071089","title":"Hockey Superstitions","description":"One of North America's best-known hockey writers examines the strangest rituals and superstitions within the NHL.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhy did Wayne Gretzky start every pre-game warm-up by shooting wide to the right of the net (a rather funny habit, given that he scored more goals than anyone in the game's history)? Why do many hockey players seem to believe performance is tied directly to facial hair? Why does Geoff Sanderson use a different length stick for every period? And why did Petr Klima break his stick after every goal he scored? \u003cb\u003eHockey Superstitions\u003c\/b\u003e, by one of Canada's best-known hockey writers, Andrew Podnieks, explores the fascinating and fun world of hockey superstitions: their origins, their quirks, and the mythology around them. Along the way, it gives us an original look into the minds of the players and coaches behind them.\u003ci\u003eIntroduction \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eGROUP SUPERSTITIONS \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eUniversal Tribalism\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Playoff Beard \u003cbr\u003eThe Playoff Beard Gains Momentum \u003cbr\u003eThe Playoff Beard Reaches the Owner’s Box\u003cbr\u003eTo Lift or Only to Smile? \u003cbr\u003eDon’t Touch Stanley Unless You’ve Earned the Right \u003cbr\u003eChange of Numbers, Change of Luck \u003cbr\u003eSticks: The Wand Is Pure Magic \u003cbr\u003ePyramid Power \u003cbr\u003eKate Smith \u003cbr\u003eDon’t Follow Death \u003cbr\u003eDetroit’s Octopus \u003cbr\u003eCrappiest Superstition Ever \u003cbr\u003eStan the Man \u003cbr\u003eThe Net Is Sacred \u003cbr\u003eThe March to War \u003cbr\u003eLast Taps \u003cbr\u003eA Magical Few Weeks \u003cbr\u003eThe Mascot \u003cbr\u003eOrder of Dress \u003cbr\u003eA Good Cob \u003cbr\u003eThe Lucky Loonie \u003cbr\u003eEat Right \u003cbr\u003eA Coach’s Tie \u003cbr\u003eThat’s Not a Rug \u003cbr\u003eThe Lucky Butt of L.A. \u003cbr\u003eReferees Are People, Too \u003cbr\u003eSuperstitions on Air \u003cbr\u003eFandemonium \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePLAYER SUPERSTITIONS \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eTo Each His (Crazy) Own\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eKARL ALZNER: \u003c\/b\u003eCrazy Eights \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSERGE AUBRY: \u003c\/b\u003eSartorial Exorcism \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eED BELFOUR: \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eNoli Me Equipment Tangere \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBILL BEVERIDGE: \u003c\/b\u003eHey, Buddy \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePETER BONDRA: \u003c\/b\u003eCounting One to Five \u003cbr\u003eQuick Shot: \u003cb\u003eDANIEL BOUCHARD \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBRUCE BOUDREAU: \u003c\/b\u003eGroundhog Day\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRAY BOURQUE: \u003c\/b\u003eLace ’Em Up, Over and Over \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eJOHNNY BOWER: \u003c\/b\u003eAncient Beliefs \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eDARREN BOYKO: \u003c\/b\u003eTime to Worry \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eDANIEL BRIÈRE: \u003c\/b\u003eDo Unto Other Sticks As You Would Have Them Do Unto You \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eMARTIN BRODEUR: \u003c\/b\u003eFamily and Hockey Can Coexist \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePETER BUDAJ: \u003c\/b\u003eD’oh \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eGERRY CHEEVERS: \u003c\/b\u003eBetter the Mask than the Face \u003cbr\u003eQuick Shot: \u003cb\u003eCHRIS CHELIOS \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eJACQUES CLOUTIER: \u003c\/b\u003eRed Is the Colour of Victory \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSIDNEY CROSBY: \u003c\/b\u003eSorry, Mom, Can’t Talk \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWILF CUDE: \u003c\/b\u003eRabbit’s Foot—or Not\u003cbr\u003eQuick Shot: \u003cb\u003eJOE DALEY \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eGERRY DESJARDINS: \u003c\/b\u003ePersonal GPS at Work \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSHANE DOAN: \u003c\/b\u003eGood Player, Good Book \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eKEN DRYDEN: \u003c\/b\u003eSmart, but Superstitious All the Same \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePHIL ESPOSITO: \u003c\/b\u003eLord, There Goes a Scorer\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTONY ESPOSITO: \u003c\/b\u003eJust Let Them Be \u003cbr\u003eQuick Shot: \u003cb\u003eBOB ESSENSA \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRAY FERRARO: \u003c\/b\u003eChicken Parm for All Times \u003cbr\u003eQuick Shot: \u003cb\u003eBOB GAINEY \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eQuick Shot: \u003cb\u003eBERT GARDINER \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBRUCE GARDINER: \u003c\/b\u003ePotty Trained\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBOYD GORDON \u003c\/b\u003e(and \u003cb\u003eMATT BRADLEY\u003c\/b\u003e)\u003cb\u003e: \u003c\/b\u003eA Most Delicate Touch \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSCOTT GORDON: \u003c\/b\u003eGet a Grip \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e“RED” GOUPILLE: \u003c\/b\u003eThe Real Thing \u003cbr\u003eQuick Shot: \u003cb\u003eRON GRAHAME \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e“CAMMI” GRANATO: \u003c\/b\u003eWhat a Doll \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e “WIN” GREEN: \u003c\/b\u003eTrained to Win (or Tie) \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWAYNE GRETZKY: \u003c\/b\u003eNot Too Good for the Rest of Us \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eGLENN HALL: \u003c\/b\u003eThe Fine Art of Upchucking \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eDOUG HARVEY: \u003c\/b\u003eAlways a Close Shave \u003cbr\u003eQuick Shot: \u003cb\u003eJOHAN HEDBERG \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBRYAN HELMER: \u003c\/b\u003eTells a Good Story \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePAUL HENDERSON: \u003c\/b\u003eEven Heroes Believe \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRON HEXTALL: \u003c\/b\u003eSmack, Boom, Bang! \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eDALE HUNTER: \u003c\/b\u003eLucky Horse Blanket \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e“PUNCH” IMLACH: \u003c\/b\u003eThe Fearful Dictator \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eGARY INNESS: \u003c\/b\u003eJust Relax \u003cbr\u003eQuick Shot: \u003cb\u003eJAROMIR JAGR \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePETR KLIMA: \u003c\/b\u003eOne and Done \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eGUY LAPOINTE: \u003c\/b\u003eMessing with a Superstition \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eGEORGE LARAQUE: \u003c\/b\u003eHere a Bump, There a Bump \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSTÉPHAN LEBEAU: \u003c\/b\u003eGame Day by the Clock \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePELLE LINDBERGH: \u003c\/b\u003ePripps, Please \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eDOUG MACLEAN: \u003c\/b\u003eFour-Leaf Clover \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eKEITH MAGNUSON: \u003c\/b\u003eGreen Means Go, and Green Means Win \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eEVGENI MALKIN: \u003c\/b\u003ePlaying Footsie \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCESARE MANIAGO \u003c\/b\u003eand the Lucky Sock \u003cbr\u003eQuick Shot: \u003cb\u003e“MUSH” MARCH \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eJOHN MCINTYRE: \u003c\/b\u003eAlpha and Omega \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eKYLE MCLAREN: \u003c\/b\u003eClueless in San Jose \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSAMMY MCMANUS: \u003c\/b\u003eNo Number 13, No Matter What \u003cbr\u003eQuick Shot: \u003cb\u003eGILLES MELOCHE \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eMARK MESSIER: \u003c\/b\u003eDon’t Worry \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSTAN MIKITA: \u003c\/b\u003eButt, Of Course\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eALFIE MOORE: \u003c\/b\u003eHat\/No Hat \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eJUSTIN MORNEAU: \u003c\/b\u003eRoy’s Biggest Fan \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLOU NANNE: \u003c\/b\u003eSame As It Ever Was \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRICK NASH: \u003c\/b\u003eToo Many, Too Private \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBERNIE NICHOLLS: \u003c\/b\u003e“Pumper-Nicholl” and Twig \u003cbr\u003eQuick Shot: \u003cb\u003eJOE NIEUWENDYK \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBOBBY ORR: \u003c\/b\u003eEven the Greatest Make Believe \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eMIKE PALMATEER: \u003c\/b\u003eThe Popcorn Kid \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBERNIE PARENT: \u003c\/b\u003ePhantom of the Crease \u003cbr\u003eQuick Shot: \u003cb\u003eCOREY PERRY \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eQuick Shot: \u003cb\u003eJACQUES PLANTE\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eQuick Shot: \u003cb\u003eFÉLIX POTVIN \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eQuick Shot: \u003cb\u003eSTÉPHANE QUINTAL \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCRAIG RAMSAY: \u003c\/b\u003eTwo to Be Good \u003cbr\u003eQuick Shot: \u003cb\u003eBILL RANFORD \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e“CHICO” RESCH: \u003c\/b\u003eBaby, Don’t You Drive That Car \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLUC ROBITAILLE: \u003c\/b\u003eTales of the Tape \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePATRICK ROY: \u003c\/b\u003eHerky-Jerky Quirky \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eGEOFF SANDERSON: \u003c\/b\u003eThe Long and Short of It \u003cbr\u003eQuick Shot: \u003cb\u003eLAURIE SCOTT \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eEDDIE SHORE: \u003c\/b\u003eFeared and Afraid \u003cbr\u003eQuick Shot: \u003cb\u003eGARY SIMMONS \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eQuick Shot: \u003cb\u003eCHRIS SIMON \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eQuick Shot: \u003cb\u003eALEX SINGBUSH \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eQuick Shot: \u003cb\u003eTYLER SLOAN \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eGARY SMITH: \u003c\/b\u003eDressing, Dressing, Dressing Room \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCONN SMYTHE: \u003c\/b\u003eA Real Screamer \u003cbr\u003eQuick Shot: \u003cb\u003eDOUG SOETAERT\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eMATS SUNDIN: \u003c\/b\u003eNo Triskaidekaphobia Here \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eMAXIME TALBOT: \u003c\/b\u003eWhole Lotta Believin’ \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eJOCELYN THIBAULT: \u003c\/b\u003eCalming Down \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWAYNE THOMAS: \u003c\/b\u003eNow That’s Quick \u003cbr\u003eQuick Shot: \u003cb\u003e“TINY” THOMPSON\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eQuick Shot: \u003cb\u003eMARK TINORDI \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eJOHN TONELLI: \u003c\/b\u003eA Little Spit \u003cbr\u003eQuick Shot: \u003cb\u003eLOUIS TRUDEL \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eDARCY TUCKER: \u003c\/b\u003eSame Old, Same Old \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRON TUGNUTT: \u003c\/b\u003eMove It or Lose It \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eMARTY TURCO: \u003c\/b\u003eWhat Was He Thinking? \u003cbr\u003eQuick Shot: \u003cb\u003eROGIE VACHON \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSTEVE VALIQUETTE: \u003c\/b\u003eInsane in the Membrane \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePHIL WATSON: \u003c\/b\u003eBelieve It or Not \u003cbr\u003eQuick Shot: \u003cb\u003eBERNIE WOLFE \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eAcknowledgements \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePhoto Credits \u003c\/i\u003eANDREW PODNIEKS is the author of more than 55 books on hockey, most notably 2008's bestselling book on the 100th anniversary of the Montreal Canadiens, \u003cb\u003eHonoured Canadiens\u003c\/b\u003e. He is also the author of \u003cb\u003ePlayers: The Ultimate A-Z Guide of Everyone Who Has Ever Played in the NHL\u003c\/b\u003e; \u003cb\u003eThe Complete Hockey Dictionary\u003c\/b\u003e; \u003cb\u003eWorld of Hockey\u003c\/b\u003e: \u003cb\u003eCelebrating a Century of the IIHF\u003c\/b\u003e; \u003cb\u003eA Day in the Life of the Maple Leafs\u003c\/b\u003e; \u003cb\u003eCanada's Olympic Hockey History, 1920-2010\u003c\/b\u003e; \u003cb\u003eA Canadian Saturday Night\u003c\/b\u003e; and \u003cb\u003ePortraits of the Game: Classic Photographs from the Turofsky Collection at the Hockey Hall of Fame\u003c\/b\u003e. In addition, he has covered three Olympics and nine World Championships for the IIHF and has written extensively with and for the Hockey Hall of Fame and Hockey Canada. He has also worked with Canada's Sports Hall of Fame to develop web and exhibition content.\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTHE PLAYOFF BEARD\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe playoff beard is a sure and ubiquitous sign that Stanley Cup hockey has arrived. For a dozen games in the pre-season of September through the eighty-two gruelling games that comprise the regular season, the NHL’s nearly one thousand players are clean-shaven, with a few sporting a beard year-round and only a handful even crafting a moustache. But when the calendar turns to the first day of the playoffs, all players on all sixteen playoff teams put away their razors, vowing not to shave again until they have won the Stanley Cup (or, more likely, have been eliminated).\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThe playoff beard has come to mean several things. First, it is about the team, a way of bonding and showing each teammate that the players are “all for one and one for all” as they begin the quest for hockey’s Holy Grail. Furthermore, it is about perseverance, about each player making a collective vow not to shave, not to care about personal appearance or tonsorial etiquette because looks don’t matter, family doesn’t matter, nothing matters except chasing the dream for the next two months of hockey.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eBecause the beard is not a feature players enjoy the rest of the year, it is also a symbol for the suffering they are willing to endure to win. Wearing a beard, especially in the spring and summer months when the playoffs are scheduled, is as unpleasant in its own way as blocking a shot, losing a tooth, or sticking up for a teammate during a game.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThe beard is an outward commitment by the players to their fans that they are willing to do whatever it takes to win in the playoffs, willing to vouchsafe all personal cleanliness and focus only on bringing home the Cup. It acts as a constant reminder to each player of this promise, this dedication.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eDave Lewis, a member of the New York Islanders from 1973 to 1980, believes that his team started the NHL tradition of the playoff beard in the mid-1970s. However, photographs of the team from those playoffs\u003cbr\u003edon’t consistenly corroborate his claim. It seems to have begun with the Islanders, to be sure, but not until 1980, when the team won the first of four straight Cups (1980–83). Lewis, unfortunately, was traded to Los Angeles late in the 1979–80 season and never won a championship with the team.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThe 1979–80 team that won the Cup for the first time featured two Swedes—Stefan Persson and Anders Kallur—the first Europeans to win the Stanley Cup (Bob Nystrom, also on the team, was born in Sweden but grew up in Canada).\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eAnother irrefutable fact is that Swedish tennis king Björn Borg began a Wimbledon tradition of growing a beard back in 1976. Each Wimbledon he started clean-shaven, vowing not to touch a razor again until the end of the tournament. He won five championships in a row, and each trophy presentation featured a bearded Borg accepting the prize (Andy Roddick tried to mimic this habit in 2008, but he failed to win the lawn championship). It is well within reason to think the Swedish players copied their national legend and brought the beard tradition to the NHL.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTHE PLAYOFF BEARD GAINS MOMENTUM\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThe successful run of four Stanley Cup wins in a row with bearded superstitions established the New York Islanders in the game’s history, but that doesn’t mean the legend spread from that day to this. Indeed, the team’s success more or less ended the playoff beard for some time. The Edmonton Oilers took over from the Isles as the dominant team for the rest of the 1980s, and those players refused to copy a tradition possibly started by their rivals (many of their great players were probably also too young to grow truly Grizzly Adams–ish beards anyway). So, the Oilers won their Cups with clean-shaven faces and lightning speed and skill.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eIronically, while the New York Rangers would never dare do anything similar to the Islanders—or vice versa—it seems that the beard returned with the New Jersey Devils in 1988, the first year that previously sad-sack team made the post-season. Their beards didn’t grow long before they were eliminated, but in 1995, the team continued with the tradition, won the Cup, and never looked back.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eMomentum picked up as the century came to a close, and now, far from worrying about copying an enemy’s habit, the superstition is that you can’t win the Cup without adopting the team beard philosophy. Ergo, the evolution to today when players on all sixteen teams grow their beards and every spring one team does, indeed, win the Stanley Cup with full beards (proving the superstition’s worth!).\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTHE PLAYOFF BEARD REACHES THE OWNER’S BOX\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThe playoff beard has pretty much been a playersonly tradition, but a new era began in 2008–09 when Pittsburgh Penguins owner Mario Lemieux adopted the superstition along with the team. This isn’t surprising given that Lemieux was (a) a Hall of Fame player himself and (b) landlord to the team’s captain, Sidney Crosby. No doubt at the start of the playoffs, over a bowl of cereal at breakfast, the captain challenged the owner to play along and toss the razor aside for the duration. And so it was that on the ice and in the dressing room after Pittsburgh’s historic victory in June 2009, Lemieux raised the Cup high above his bearded face in triumph. It is highly doubtful that the older and more corporate owners will follow Mario’s lead, but Penguins fans can be sure that Lemieux will continue with the tradition as long as it has strength (having Crosby and Evgeni Malkin on the team doesn’t hurt, either).","brand":"McClelland \u0026 Stewart","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46301081436389,"sku":"NP9780771071089","price":17.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780771071089.jpg?v=1767729116","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/hockey-superstitions-isbn-9780771071089","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}