Superstitions, Summer and a New Hobby

What's up everyone. It's been another long time since I've been on and some people have been wondering when a new post will be up. Along with that question I have gotten some emails from readers asking me questions about superstitions, whether I have any and what I like to do on gamedays. So I'll start with the superstitions question; I think you can ask any hockey player out there if they have superstitions and everyone will have the same outcome. "I don't think of the as superstitions, more so just a routine." Personally, I call it a routine because I think sometimes if you get so wrapped up in your superstitions you lose track of the bigger picture, the game. For me game days start the same way, wake up and have a good breakfast then go to pregame skate if we have one. Get the blood going, get a feel for the puck and loosen the legs. After lunch and a nap I head to the rink about 2.5 hours before the game starts. At the rink I'm always loose, I'll tape my sticks, get a good stretch and then just hang out til it's time to get ready for warmups. I know some guys who have to do certain things at certain times and get mentally ready for a game, but that doesn't work for me. It's all about doing what you need to do personally to get ready for a game.

With the calendar turning to June this past week the summer workouts have picked up and some teams are starting to show interest for next season. It's still really early in the contract period so I'm trying not to think about it too much or else I'll go crazy. Some guys are getting back from college and I'll be hanging out with them in the weeks to come. My summer gets pretty busy on June 22nd when my summer job of shooting pucks on goalies starts. Some of the best goalies around are on the ice throughout the day and we shoot for anywhere from 2-4 hours Monday thru Thursday, if you were to count the amount of pucks we shoot a day it would probably add up to about 1000 pucks a week. It's a fun job, it keeps me on the ice with quality goalies and great guys.

My newest hobby as of late has been betting on horse racing. My old roommate Joe Lyle got me into it and it's pretty fun. It gives you a good adrenaline rush everytime you watch your horse go to the gate. The good thing about it is it has kept me out of trouble and I'm not going out nearly as much as I went out last summer. With the 3rd leg of the Triple Crown going off tomorrrow I'm staying in tonight doing some last minute homework for the Belmont Stakes tomorrow night. Personally I like Summer Bird to at least show, if not better and you have to like Mine That Bird after jockey Calvin Borel guaranteed victory earlier this week.

Also what a great series the Stanley Cup Finals has turned into. I picked Pittsburgh in 6 at the start of the series and it's looking pretty good so far for the Pens. Crosby and Malkin have been unreal this post season, but the guy I like right now is Kris Letang who is having a great series. Not to take anything away from Abdelkader's 2 goals in the first two games of the series, not bad for the rookie from Michigan State.

Hutch