Some players call them superstitions, others call them routines, but whatever they are they have seemed to work for the DU hockey team this season.
“Superstitions, it is more of a routine, like tying up a skate before the other one, or what you eat the day before,” said sophomore goaltender Glenn Fisher.
“I guess you could call those superstitions, but what it comes down to is routine, so that you are in the right frame of mind for every game of the year.”
Sports athletes, whether professional, collegiate or high school, have their own set of superstitions or shall we say routine, that they follow before, during and after each game.
Last week some of the hockey players displayed what they like to call their superstitions.
It starts off with the team routines, where each practice ends with a shoot-out and the person that doesn’t score gets a lemon and the person that wins it gets an orange.
Secondly, a hard hat is awarded to a player after each game for a play that might have gone unnoticed on the stat sheet.
Some player’s superstitions come easier than others explained senior captain Matt Laatsch.
“Last year our goalie Berkhoel picked up superstitions every week I think, about five hours worth of superstitions per game,” said Laatsch.
Other players like to have a little fun before some of the games explained freshman Andrew Thomas. “Ryan Dingle and Brian Skinner like to have a dance party in the locker before the games sometimes,” he said.
Some of the players, like Fisher, get dressed the same way before every game.
Fisher ties up his left skate first and then doesn’t tie the right skate up all the way. On the ice Fisher has a special crease move he does before and after goals.
The other Pioneer goalie, freshman Peter Mannino, has his own routine with his roommate before they even enter the locker room.
“My roommate Dingle and I get up and throw music on, the same music every time, then shower, open the doors in a certain order, get a bagel with cream cheese, and then when we get to Magness, six guys play soccer before the games,” said Mannino.
When he is on the road, Mannino has a different roommate in Fisher and a different set of routines.
“On the nights before Fisher plays, we go to bed earlier, turn off the TV,” said Mannino. “I tell him to do whatever and I just crash.”
Also before the games both Fisher and Mannino share a pineapple pizza and whoever is playing on that day gets the shower first.
“In Columbus we will be doing the same thing, hopefully it works and if it doesn’t then change it up,” said Mannino. “But we are going to stay the same and hopefully things work out.”
Be sure to tune into ESPN 2 at 12 pm on Thursday April 7 for what will be a game for the ages between the Pioneers and the Tigers of Colorado College.
“I do a lot of stuff, but I don’t look at it as a superstition, more as a routine, there are so many different things you can do,” says Mannino.
Some may call it a routine, but it is best known as a superstition and something that has helped Denver to a second straight Frozen Four appearance.
