Ritual Behavior

Another guest post for the beauties over at Wheels Hockey:

“Dictionary.com definition: Ritual (noun)- any practice or pattern of behavior regularly performed in a set manner.”

Rituals; we all have them, whether it’s conscious or sub conscious. Whether you wake up and step with your left side out of bed or lace up your right skate first it’s a major contributor in how you play the game. To the ordinary person, ritual is going about your day to day life in a string of reoccurring habits. To an athlete ritual becomes an often overlooked necessity. For some players it can make or break a game. It’s often been said that goalies are the most ritual plagued member of a team. Turns out they aren’t the only crazy ones.

While currently suffering from an overwhelming case of the off-season blues, it’s easy to think about the random aspects of the game. What rituals does a player face before hitting the ice? Are the pre-game preparations set each day or can it fluctuate? Read the rest here: Wheels Hockey Blog