When it comes to sports I am superstitious. Very superstitious. I don’t think any of my superstitions and rituals actually work, but why tempt the hockey gods? I am not taking any chances. During one of the intermissions of the recent Canes vs Bruins game in the RBC center, my brother casually said to me, “Cam is playing really well tonight.” You can only imagine what followed. No I did not throw him over the concrete wall to the lower level. I did however shoot him what shall be known as the “Death Glare.” It was followed by a scolding of, “I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU JUST SAID THAT. If we lose it’s all your fault!” Thankfully we won and I did not have to engage in any acts of fratricide.
One day I will tell you all the story of what is known in my circle of friends as my “Cam Ward Spaghetti Shirt.” But for now I will concentrate on rituals. When I attended the game against Tampa Bay on opening night there was, of course, ceremony around the evening so things were done differently than at a normal game. By the end of the season you memorize what is going to happen and when. It becomes part of your game ritual or least it does for me. On opening night the ritual changed. And to put it mildly, it freaked me out. The siren was moved to center ice for sounding. The full team and coaches were announced so the players did not skate out to “Rock You Like a Hurricane.” During the game the “right” songs and videos were not played at the “right” times (with “right” being designated by yours truly). We lost the game. Were the hockey gods punishing us for all of those infractions on opening night? I don’t know but it all just felt wrong.
The next game was an away game, and I wasn’t taking any chances. I decided to recreate the game experience from home. I did not install LED lighting in my hallways or a sound system to pump out metal music. There is no ice rink in my kitchen. But the other sights and sounds were taken care of to appease the hockey gods, and my nerves.
Here is what I did to reverse the curse, of course while wearing a Chad LaRose t-shirt of questionable cleanliness (washing it could CHANGE something in the universe!):
- Played the song “You Make Me Smile” by Uncle Kracker because they usually play that with a video as people are filing into the arena.
- Played the opening video, “All These Things” by the Killers because they usually show that on the jumbotron after they dim the lights. People start clapping when they get to the “I got soul, but I’m not a soldier” part. Yes I clapped and sang along. No I don’t need medication.
- Cranked up “Rock You Like a Hurricane” and fist pumped! The fist pumping is something I usually reserve for the privacy of my own home. But it’s part of my ritual so the hockey gods were not disturbed by that addition.
- Played the return from the first intermission song video “Hurricane Warning” by a local band called Airiel Down. They played something else by Airiel Down during the game. I know this because people around me were also muttering, “That’s not ‘Hurricane Warning.’” I was not the only one that wasn’t embracing change!
- Played the return from second intermission song “Let’s Go Canes.” It’s a silly song, but I am kind sweet on it. “Come on, come on, come on…let’s go…” Of course I clapped and sang along. I am very enthusiastic about crowd participation!
- Played a goal horn.
I must note that after I played “All These Things” I realized I had not played any warm up music. Last year during warm ups the boys skated frequently to “Strange Times” by the Black Keys, so when I hear that song I think of hockey. So I might have…you know…gone back and DONE THE ENTIRE SEQUENCE AGAIN BUT WITH WARM UP MUSIC. Well I couldn’t have just stopped in the middle of my rituals! I figured it was best to get through them wrong and then start over!
I might have been tweeting my progress as I carried out these tasks and gotten some other ladies to do their pre-game rituals with me including cheers passed down through the generations by their moms. I barely finished my rituals before faceoff, because frankly doing them twice took a really long time! Once I had my rituals out of the way I could sit back, relax, and watch the Canes play the Capitals. Ok, so we lost. But I can rest easy knowing the responsibility for the loss is not on me! I did my part. Now if I can only figure out which player left off a ritual, I feel confident I can get to the bottom of this.
Do you have any game-day rituals? Share them in the comments! I have given you ample tools to start some up! We appreciate your comments and readership. Follow Cardiac Cane news and stories on Facebook and Twitter: @CardiacCaneFS, @Esbee92, and @Caniac176