Goalies are a different breed. Superstitions and routines run rampant through professional sports, with some very strange ones emerging every day (just ask Turk Wendell), but hockey goalies take the cake when it comes to whacky traditions.
Throughout the World Juniors tournament, you could see Team Canada’s goaltender Carter Hart squirting water in the air and watching it fall (a tradition previously done by Washington Capitals’ goalie Braden Holtby). Apparently it helps to keep a goalie’s eyes focused during the game, but who really knows why they do it.
Either way, it is only further confirmation that goalies are a different breed.
Early in the tournament, we got treated to one of Carter Hart’s particularly tedious traditions - that he always needs to be the last one on the ice. This goes for practice, post-warmup, and between periods. It became a bit of an issue for Hart when he ended up getting stuck on the ice as the backup Finnish goaltender did some stretching and skating before leaving the ice.
During Tuesday’s quarterfinal between Canada and Switzerland, the Swiss team decided to take advantage of the now-exposed superstition. Hart wanted to get off the ice but was met in a bizarre standoff with Swiss backup Matteo Ritz. Ritz stretched and stood around until Hart finally had to give up and step off the ice. Hart, not to be defeated, came back out after Ritz left and took one last step onto the ice.
No wonder goalies are so weird, here’s a video of Ilya Bryzgalov
