It’s no secret that most athletes are superstitious, but hockey players are next-level.
There’s some superstitions that are fairly common – putting on your gear a certain way, not shaving your face in the playoffs, naps before games, and so on.
There’s normal, understandable superstitions, and then there’s Sidney Crosby.
The NHPA announced the results of its player poll today, and the Penguins’ captain was voted the league’s most superstitious player.
Unsurprising, given his reputation.
You might recall that before his 1,000th game this year, his whole team poked fun at his many superstitions by mimicking them exactly.
Yeah, he’s got the warm-up routine down to an art. Just look at this!
#87 is known for a lot of crazy superstitions, some of them so minute that it’s incredible he remembers to do them all each game. Here’s a list of a few we were able to find:
- He eats the same peanut butter sandwich (with the same brands of each) at 5:00 PM before every game
- He keeps his sticks at his own stall instead of with the rest of the team’s
- He walks around one specific garbage can in the dressing room before they go out onto the ice
- He’s been wearing the same jockstrap since high school
- He stickhandles through the golden McDonald’s arches on the ice before every game
- He can’t touch the soccer ball before the warm up game of keep up
- He tapes and retapes his sticks every period
- No one can touch his stick once he’s taped it
- He never passes the visitor’s locker room on his way into an arena
- A sequence of specific stretches
- A special handshake with Malkin before games
- Leaving the ice second last (Malkin goes last)
- His gear has to be laid out a certain way
- He doesn’t talk to his mom or sister on game day because he gets injured when he does
- His sticks can’t go next to the goalie sticks on the road
- He wears the same hat for a whole season (without washing it)
There’s definitely more, but you get the gist of it.
They may seem crazy, but hey, they’ve worked!
(H/T: NHLPA)
