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22 // JUNE/JULY 2020 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM PHOTOS BY Getty Images ECHL Goaltender of the Year Tomas Sholl of Hermosa Beach, Calif., is no different. He admits to being very routine oriented. The 25-year-old realized he needed to relax after letting superstitions affect him while playing for Bowling Green State University. "I've tried to practice staying in the moment, where I'll do breathing exercises before games that just kind of grounds me in the present," the Idaho Steelheads goalie said. "It just helps a lot to not have to worry about what if all these bad things happen and just kind of take it as it comes and enjoy the moment. "But it's not like if I don't do this at the end of the world," he added. "It's more just doing these things to get my mind in the right state." The in-game routines vary. These are important after allowing a goal and being ready to perform moments later. U.S. Women's National and Olympic Team goalie Maddie Rooney of Andover, Minn., follows the falling drops from her water bottle to the ice to help her focus. The postgame routines are just as important, if not as rigid. "After the game it's typically, I can breathe now," Cash said. "It's about reflecting, win or lose, on what you could have done better to prepare. If you're not thinking about the way the game unfolded, you're not doing your due diligence to become a better athlete and student of the game." That period of reflection cannot center on an irrational reason behind a victory, defeat or performance level, Smith warned. "In reality, we know that what you ate had little to no effect on the outcome of the game," he said. "There are too many other variables [the talent level of the other team, referee calls, coaching, etc.] that are more important and that can affect the outcome." "Superstitions in general are not helpful, because they give us a false belief that something we do has a direct causal relationship with win- ning or losing," he added. "In general, I believe it makes athletes more psychologically vulnerable and less mentally tough." Mental strength is important at any position, especially goalie. NHL veteran Ryan Miller of East Lansing, Mich., relies on timeouts and other stoppages to give himself a break. "You cannot be 100 percent all of the time and you can- not be so hard on yourself," said Miller, the winningest American-born goalie (378) in NHL history. "You need to feel free to be distracted and then bring it back. It allows you to be very focused when you need to be." Superstitions often take root at a young age. Rooney wears the same black headband she did in high school—washed often, she stressed. She did not wear it once and "gave up five or six goals." The next game, that headband was back and so was the sustained success that led to an Olympic gold medal in 2018. Rooney can laugh about it. She has played at a high level for so long, the confidence is there to win without any mental crutch. If only her teammates would let her. A goalie's comrades can be just as super- stitious about their netminder's prepa- r a t i o n . R o o n e y r e c a l l e d h ow c o n - cerned some of her college teammates were when the aforementioned black headband was misplaced in the black gear bag before a game. "My play is out of their control and if they see me not ready that worries them," she said. Experience does help a goalie shake off some superstitions. Miller said he has grown out of some of the things he developed in juniors and at Michigan State University. At 39, the Anaheim Ducks goalie knows paying close attention to his body is more important. Buses break down, airplane flights are delayed or one of the kids is home from school. Life makes a rigid schedule impractical. Not that Miller doesn't have his quirks and routines. "I used to do a lot of things over the years," he said. "The one that hangs in there is in between whistles or period starts. I go for a little skate and always take a right turn around the [faceoff ] dot and do a figure eight." "I ended up being the last person [off the ice] because I take my time," he added. "I take a little bit of a turn at the door before I get off. We used to have this routine in juniors and college when there was more rah-rah going on. I just kept it going. It brings me back to a time when it's all about fun. It's something you know has no bearing on the game." Miller avoided a clothing superstition. He related how smelly things got when his junior teammates cleaned their own laundry after the equipment manager quit. He didn't believe wearing an unwashed item helped. A superstition may change due to circumstance. Cash's 1990s chest pro- tector is too far gone to use anymore. He went on eBay this spring and bought the same model, unworn, to use this season. The 31-year-old is convinced that the smaller-sized equipment gives him a better range of movement. " T h e r e 's g o l d m e d a l s i n t h a t protector," he said. " Why change that?" P Joe Paisley is a freelance writer based in Colorado Springs, Colo. "Superstitions in general are not helpful, because they give us a false belief that something we do has a direct causal relationship with winning or losing. In general, I believe it makes athletes more psychologically vulnerable and less mentally tough." D R . L E I F H . S M I T H , S P O R T S P S Y C H O L O G I S T MIND GAMES