It's sometimes strange, it's usually normal, but for anyone who knows a dedicated athlete, pre-game habits can become something of a ritual.
"I listen to music the whole day and watch goalie videos," said 18-year-old Ryland Pashovitz, a goalie for the Humboldt Broncos. "I usually juggle three racquet balls off the walls before a game to get my reflexes used to it."
Pashovitz first became acquainted with the exercise two years ago while watching Miracle. The biopic focuses on the famed United States men's hockey team that won the gold medal at the 1980 winter Olympics. Not knowing how to juggle, Pashovitz practiced until he was able to do it.
Not every athlete's habits are the same and they're not always unusual, but they're almost always fixed. They're the routines that must happen.
"I eat at the same time, come to the rink at the same time, and sit at the bench before each game," said 19-year-old Dylan Fluter, also a Broncos teammate.
At the top of Fluter's hockey stick are five characters written vertically in marker. The first two are the initials of a teammate's father who's suffering from cancer. Below them is the cancer symbol, followed by the initials of his grandfather. Fluter's grandfather passed away three years ago.
"Before every game I rub my thumb across it during the a," said Fluter. "It makes me feel like (my grandfather's) watching over us."
On the other side of Fluter's stick at the top are the characters '303' written vertically. He said that he and his grandfather used to go hunting with a .303 British rifle. Writing those numbers on his stick helps with scoring and accuracy.
The importance of hockey stick habits is not lost on the rest of the team, either. Cody Pongracz, like the rest of the team, re-tapes his stick before every game. Unlike them, however, he has an uncommon superstition that follows the habit.
"After I tape my stick, it can never touch the ground," said Pongracz. "If it does, I have to re-tape it, otherwise it'll be bad luck."
Then there's 19-year-old Justin Lund. He starts by throwing pucks to the other team's side and makes sure the last three pucks go into their net. Before the game, he listens to the same song every time: Burning Up by the Jonas Brothers. Lastly, there's the handshake.
"I always shake hands with Dave (Miazga). It's a special handshake," said Lund. "If we don't shake hands, it doesn't go so well. I'll still wait for him even though I'm not out there."
Oddly enough, all the team members, save one, seem to share a common habit: getting dressed from left to right.
"If I'm getting dressed and I grab a right skate before I've put on the left skate, I'll put it back and put the left one on first," said Fluter.
The only other player who doesn't abide by this rampant habit is 19-year-old Jeffrey Ness. He ties his right skate before his left skate.
Among some of the boys, there is also a fun tradition of playing sewer ball before the game (the game is similar to hackey sack and involves keeping a ball in the hair without using hands). While there is a death match for advanced players, not everyone is so lucky.
"I'm not a very good sewer ball player," said Ryan Aubertin. "So if I win, it's not good luck."
By some standards, these athlete oddities can be considered tame. In the big, bad world of professional sports, there are some documented cases of athletes with bizarre pre-game rituals.
For example, NFL defensive tackle John Henderson, nicknamed Big John or Big Hen, asked to be slapped as hard as possible by the Jaguars' assistant trainer before every game.
Then there's Les Miles, football coach for the Louisiana State University. He would munch on grass from the field.
Of course, unwashed articles of clothing are probably the most common form of athlete superstition out there. An odd twist to that, however, is Michael Jordon's determination to wear his lucky North Carolina shorts under his uniform throughout his career.
Lastly, it would be criminal not to mention Humboldt's very own NHL goalie, Glenn Hall. Hall, known as "Mr. Goalie," would throw up before every game and then drink a glass of orange juice.
"Athletes pick up more and more habits as they win more games," said Dean Brockman, head coach and general manager of the Broncos. "If you get into that routine, you tend to stick to it, especially if you're winning games."
However, Brockman doesn't believe in anything like good or bad luck. According to him, if you're having a stroke of bad luck, you have it within your power to change that to good luck.
