Yesterday’s prompt asked if I’m superstitious, but I didn’t notice the prompt until after I had already finished my blog about our torturous allergy season here. The answer is that I am absolutely superstitious. It comes along with the hockey mom and hockey culture. Show me a hockey mom that’s not superstitious and I’ll show you snow in Miami (real meteorological snow, not the stuff referenced in Miami Vice.)

Are you superstitious?

So let me recount some of the superstitious ridiculousness that comes with being a hockey mom and/or player

• Thou shall not utter the word shutout until the final buzzer has sounded. If you utter it before, it will be your fault when the goalie gives up a goal. This is one of the cardinal rules of being a goalie parent.
• I wore this jacket and they won; ergo, I must wear this jacket to all future games, so the trend can continue. God forbid we wear another jacket and they lose, oh the regret that would spark.
• Pregame rituals: for me, it was always grabbing a coffee before game time. Each player and parent has their own pregame routine.
• Always tell my player or goalie good luck and have fun before they hit the ice
• The goalie hits the goalposts in a certain order before every face-off.
• The playoff beard. No shaving for the guys until they’ve won or been knocked out of the playoffs
• Favorite shirt or piece of equipment. This item will be repaired until it can’t be repaired anymore because the player has to wear it.
• Not washing equipment during the season. This one is a killer. You’d only have to walk near my garage during the season to know why.
• The taping of the stick. Every player has a ritual for when and how they tape their stick before a game.
• Pregame meal or drink (i.e Celsius.). We’ve definitely hit some gas stations before games to make sure they had their Celsius in hand.

What are some of your superstitions? Hockey folks, did I miss any?

Today’s accountability tracker:

• Workout: 45-minute spin class, plus 15-minute cooldown courtesy of Apple Fitness+
• Book: I finished Marcel Proust’s Finding Lost Time last time. Five years and seven volumes later, I’ve completed his masterpiece. Tonight I’m starting Mary Queen of Scots and the Murder of Lord Darnley by Alison Weir.
• Word of the day is chiton. A chiton is a mollusk often found in tide pools.
• Blog: done
• Today’s song is Outta Our Heads by Dropkick Murphy’s