Like many sports fans, I am superstitious. I also have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. It’s a bad combination.
Rationally, I know I have no control over what happens in games. I have no preternatural, mythical powers. Yet, on game day, I think my actions can impact the outcome of a game that’s happening as far as 3,000 miles away.
The way these actions manifest themselves are in the form of do or do not choice. There is no try. Since I can’t really afford to go to games, these superstitions revolve mostly around the television and internet.
First off, I cannot turn on the game before the listed start time. I don’t have to wait until puck drop, but if the broadcast is scheduled to start at 7:00 and I turn the channel on at 6:59, I may have doomed the team.
This is the case if the channel is on when I turn on the TV. If there was a game on the previous night, I need to make sure I change the channel before I shut off the TV.
The same is true for visiting NHL.com. If I want to look up stats during a game. Even if I accidentally click on the site, the damage is done. Sorry, Flyers.
The channel cannot be changed during the game. If someone else wants to watch something at the same time, I can’t flip back and forth between the two. So, I’ll watch the game elsewhere.
The TV rules also reply to others in the household. They can’t change the channel or put the broadcast on before it’s scheduled start time.
Finally, I cannot give a prediction on the score. I won’t say the Flyers will win or lose. I can’t. It’s bad juju.
These are the main superstitions I have. They get more convoluted from here. No need to make my self sound even crazier by discussing them.
I got lazy with this when the Flyers began falling apart this season and am clearly to blame for the team’s issues. After the Olympic break, I made sure to stick to my routines and all went well. As long as I keep up with it, the Flyers should be good.