#LeafsNationRituals

 

Sports and Superstition have long gone hand in hand. 

With the return of the Maple Leafs after a long summer full of dalliances with other sports and pastimes away fans all over the country are busy making preparations to appease the hockey gods in the hopes that this year their prayers will be answered. Each fan has a routine or pattern of behaviour they seek to adhere to in the hopes that their favourite team will see a win. These habits tend to develop organically and often in response to a particular event. The Leafs did X when I did Y so I better either do Y all the time or never again.

My own ritual is drinking beer and eating peanuts. Myself and fellow Leafs Nation contributor JP Nikota were roommates during our undergraduate studies at UWO. We both liked beer and the peanuts calmed our nerves a little, for some reason I find shucking them soothing, I believe George Washington Carver advocated eating peanuts to reduce stress. Either way it is something that we always do when we watch a game together. That and play NHL on my GameCube between periods, or at whichever point the Leafs performed so terribly we had to beat their opponent ourselves, virtual catharsis.

Also, JP tends to sit on the floor as the game gets more tense, I’m not entirely sure why.

So, Leafs Nation, what are your Maple Leafs Rituals?

Leave yours in the comments or on Twitter hashtag #LeafsNationRituals