Haden’s pre-game superstition involves hiding stick from Tiger teammates

By Ryan McCracken on January 17, 2018.

rmccracken@medicinehatnews.com @MHNMcCracken

Gary Haden insists a hockey player must have a positive relationship with their hockey stick — and that’s why he hides it from his teammates before every game.

The 18-year-old Medicine Hat Tigers centre has been keeping up the superstition for years, sometimes opting to hide it in trainer Mikki Lanuk’s room, other times resorting to more extreme measures.

“It’s tough on the road because some of the road rinks aren’t really accustomed to me hiding my stick so I have to think of some pretty creative spots to make sure no one sees it … Like in the roof,” said Haden. “It started in bantam. I’d always put the tape on my blade so it couldn’t touch the ground before it went on the ice. One kid thought it was funny to put water under my blade and he was like ‘All the goals ran out of it.’ Then I went out and broke my stick, so I thought, ‘OK, this is creepy.'”

Haden is having a career year with the Tigers, sitting on 12 goals and 19 assists for 31 points in 43 games. While the ritual can’t be attributed for every point he’s collected, it’s safe to say he wouldn’t have collected them without his stick.

Similar to the rifleman’s creed — which in this case would suggest that without Haden, his hockey stick is useless, and without his stick, Haden is useless — the Airdrie product says superstition is simply part of the game. As such, treating his stick like gold has become crucially important, especially when his teammates are waiting around every corner to mess up his ritual in jest.

“Some of the guys like to mess with me before the game so I hide it in Lanuk’s room and lock the door so no one can get in there, then right before warm-up Mikki lets me in and I grab my stick,” said Haden, adding he’s done it for every Western Hockey League game. “I’ve always found a place. I always kind of scope it out before I go in there.”

Haden and the Tigers (24-17-4-0) return to the Canalta Centre tonight to host the Kootenay Ice (19-22-3-0) at 7 p.m.

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