My playoff superstitions

Three years ago, I was moving my son into a townhouse in Ottawa. He had completed his first year at school and was moving out of residence. The Ottawa Senators were the Cinderella team and the neighbours who watched us move into the townhouse were curious about our hockey affiliations.
Adam was moving into a Senators neighborhood.
I think the neighbors were surprised that I and Adam were ambivalent. They expected that we would be a Toronto supporter or maybe a Calgary or Edmonton supporter since Adam was from so far in the west.
We didn’t support any of those teams. If anything, Adam probably had it instilled into himself that the only team worth cheering for was Toronto. And that was reinforced by his grandmother.
After Bobby Hull left the Chicago Black Hawks, I didn’t spend a lot of time following hockey. In recent years when a Canadian team made it to the finals, I would attach my red maple leaf to my heart and cheer for that Canadian team. In the final always cheer for the team from your country.
Do I know the members of the Ottawa team. I don’t. I recognize that Pronger following on the wishes of his wife moved to Anaheim. But that is the only name I could place on the roster of either team.
Last year, I cheered for Edmonton. This year, my heart calls for me to support and cheer on Ottawa. As much as I would like to cheer on a team, I almost think that directly watching the game will influence the outcome of the game. It might be superstition. But it seems to me that every time I watch a sporting game and have picked a favorite, that team will lose.
It seems like the kiss of defeat. It first happened at a Muskie Hockey game when I was a young lad. I am certain that I put the seal of defeat on the Vikings in every one of their Super Bowl appearances.
Let me watch a game for enjoyment where I can enjoy both teams and their play and the outcome of the game remains in the hands of the players. Let me cheer for my favorite team in front of a television and their fate is sealed.
I have had soft spot in my heart for the Georgetown Hoyas of the NCAA and followed their climb to the final this year. And then I watched that game and they just couldn’t seem to get untracked. The other team may have been better and definitely were in that game, but somehow through the television set I put the jinx on my team.
So beginning Monday night, I refuse to watch the Stanley Cup final. My heart and support go out to Ottawa. I would so like for them to win the Stanley Cup so I didn’t have to hear about the Leafs again. And I will be doing my part to make that happen. I won’t watch the games on television. I just don’t want to seal their fate. Go Senators Go.
–Jim Cumming,
Publisher