Does anyone have any rituals?

[TacoBellParkingLot]

Or with other team mates? (Ex: the Boston goalies who do that big hug)

[GoalieInTheDesertYT]

Put on left skate, put on right skate tie right skate, tie left skate.

attach my left toe tie, attach my right. Strap on right pad strap on left.

[mik]

I used to tap posts and other ordinadry "ritual stuff", but get rid of everything some years ago for good . Now I have only my way to warm up and stretch on ice, but it is not a ritual, as I can go different warm up without problem. 

[ilyazhito]

I usually put the equipment on my right side before my left side, but it's a habit, not a ritual. 

I also talk to my posts and perform a warmup involving shuffles and slides in the crease before I take shots. 

[indykrap]

Same stretching routine/wall ball tossing before every game. Try to take a minute or so to do some deep breathing and noticing stuff around the arena to be more present just before the game and block out work/personal/life stuff that's in my head.

Used to be have an intense routine (same meal, meditation, stretching, etc) before every game but life got in the way, and honestly - I don't think I'm at a high enough level as a beer leaguer for it to make much of a difference! haha

[Wonder35]

Just before heading to the rink (7 minute drive) I do 20-25 minutes of Yoga, mainly stretches for the upper and lower body and then some deep breathing. I like to be in our dressing room at least one hour before the game. I dress slowly, no particular ritual, but when done I will do some brief stretching, more to be sure that my gear feels right. The whole time I am drinking from my bottle of sporthydration and it sits atop my net during our game.

Once on the ice, I don't need more than 25-30 warm up shots, then it's game on. I rarely break from this routine.

[coopaloop1234]

 

I used to have a ritual as to what time I got to the rink, where I sat, how I dress, how I take warmups, etc. 

Those have more or less disappeared over the last three years. Go figure the stipulations that rinks had in place during the Covid area (limited dressing rooms for example) managed to remove any requirement/desire to continue. 

Now the only ritual I care to continue is keeping the Beer in Beer League. 

"Win or lose, we booze" 

Edited March 1, 2023 by coopaloop1234

[johncho]

I try to mindfully hydrate the day of, I was able to get away with just drinking an extra drink 2hr before games, but now I'm finding that I need to start way earlier.

I stretch but not to my limit, I found that going to the limit would slow me down a bit during the game.

Stretch on the ice with my gear, take a few warm up shots, quick movement in the crease, then ready to go.

[indykrap]

I wonder if there's a difference in rituals between those that get a proper warm up and those that get two minutes after the zamboni door closes...

[Fullright]

This is an excellent topic. One of those things about which I've always wondered what other goalies did or didnt do. Thanks for sharing your approaches; hope there's more to come. 

Edited March 2, 2023 by Fullright
syntax

[Fullright]

Since I find the thread interesting, I'll chime in w my rituals for Hockey Life 1.0 and 2.0. They've changed over time depending where I was and am in the sport.

1971 - 1994: During this period, I took our job very seriously terrified that my play would show that I had no business being in net. In school or work, I didnt pay attention to anything or anybody trying to get my mind right, which made me oblivious or just mean depending on your point of view. I didnt talk to anybody or hear anything. Plenty of water and eat very light. Stretch before going to the rink. Stretch again after undergarments were on in the locker room.  Right skate, left skate, right knee pad, left knee pad, right leg pad, left leg pad.

2010 - current: Still take it seriously (fear of being exposed as a bad goalie) and although focused on the night ahead, the responsibilities of real life and being done with aspirations, I actually interact with people. Try and get a few winks in during the late afternoon. Eat very light and hydrate all day long. Stretch before leaving for the rink and stretch again after undies on in the dressing room. Same deal now for the skate, knee pad, and leg pad.....just comfortable that way.

In a weird, sociopathic way, I miss the "dark places" my mind went during Hockey Life 1.0. Probably not helpful to my emotional well being and my reputation in my non-hockey life but for me, it was necessary. I could never laugh, joke around or otherwise be a "normal person" on game day during those years.

Edited March 3, 2023 by Fullright
punctuation

[The Teal Terror]

Various things; I’d always dress right to left, and undress left to right. Once my leg pads were on, before my chesty, I’d flex my thigh rise and then do a bunny hop. Once all my gears on, double tap on pad face with butt end of stick. Glove hand was always the loose one, I’d take it off to drink water unlike most who take the blocker off. Triple tap posts and talk to them. During stretches I would kind of spin my knees and click my heels like wizard of oz, 3 times. I had a period, of once the zamboni had finished, I had to be first on the fresh ice. But that didn’t last too long. Pregame/pre practice, 9/10 I would always have a mars bar. ‘bout as much as I can remember!

[Naz]

I always stop and grab a coffee on my way to the arena.

[creasecollector]

When I was younger, sure. Gear put on the same way, same number of laps before undergoing the same stretching routine in the same area on the ice, etc. 

But now I just focus on eating right before the game and trying not to take the game too seriouslly. While I still have ways to go, this help helped me feel less nervous before games or when the going gets tough in a game. Can't let my mind get clouded with a few things I did/didn't do before a game that has no impact on it at the end of the day. 

Nothing wrong with rituals (like I said, been there myself for years) but there is something freeing about not "needing" to do this or that before a game besides get ready and focus on stopping the puck with as sound technique as possible.

[Almost Hip]

How can you not have rituals.  

They have changed, evolved, some gone, some new.  From AAA hockey to beer league, no commitments to work, wife and kids.  Sometimes your just have enough time to get to the rink and realize you forgot to stretch etc and everything is out of sync.  Sometimes that seems to affect play and sometimes it doesn't.  I wish we had proper warm up time as beer leaguers though.  2 min to stretch, put the pegs on and face shots is not enough.  Half the time the ice is still so wet don't even want to butterfly yet or end up with soaker.

I had a whole post and pad stick tap routine until I got brand new gear as an adult and didn't want to continue slamming the pads to the point the whole rink could hear.

I go for a skate when our team scores and touch the red goal line on the boards, then curl back and tap far post with glove before curling back in front of net for a drink of water. That's a newer one I developed in last 10 years and came from sometimes playing weaker teams and getting cold. Now it's a must unless we're up big and game is out of reach.

I have a spot in the dressing room and will kick guys out if they forget,  gear goes on roughly the same every time.