BLACK CATS AND HOCKEY TAPE: INVESTIGATING ROUTINES AND SUPERSTITIONS AMONG PROFESSIONAL HOCKEY ATHLETES: A QUALITATIVE STUDY STAMATA (MATA) CATSOULIS A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS GRADUATE PROGRAM IN KINESIOLOGY AND HEALTH SCIENCE YORK UNIVERSITY TORONTO, ONTARIO OCTOBER 2011 Library and Archives Bibliotheque et Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de I'edition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A0N4 Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-88617-5 Our file Notre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-88617-5 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non­ L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library and permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par I'lnternet, preter, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans le loan, distrbute and sell theses monde, a des fins commerciales ou autres, sur worldwide, for commercial or non­ support microforme, papier, electronique et/ou commercial purposes, in microform, autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. 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Canada ABSTRACT Superstitions among athletes have become an accepted feature in elite sport and are often followed and normalized in popular media. Yet, aside from some dated research (e.g., Gregory & Petrie, 1975; Neil, 1982), there is relatively no scholarly research - socio- cultural or otherwise - critically examining superstitious behaviour among athletes. This study attempts to address this gap in the research by critically examining the role of routine and superstition among professional hockey players. This study explores how and why ice hockey players employ routines and superstitions in their training and the effects on competition practices. This study attempts to differentiate between routine and superstition as experienced by male professional hockey players. The effect that routines and superstitions have on anxiety has been investigated. The reasons hockey players adopt routines and superstitions are also explored, taking into account the regimented hockey environment professional hockey players are immersed in. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS There are numerous individuals who deserve to be identified and thanked, as they have been integral to the successful completion of this study. This project would not have been possible if it weren't for the strong support team I had and continue to have behind me. I'd like to begin by acknowledge my mentor who took the time to teach me the game of hockey. My appreciation cannot be put into words. Without these teachings I may have missed experiencing the joy of hockey, which later became the focus of my research interests, and a part of my life goals. Thank you. I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. Parissa Safai, who gave me a chance to succeed by taking me under her wing. These past two years, under Dr. Safai's supervision, my knowledge has been enriched and my views broadened. Dr. Safai's guidance and support truly helped develop and influence this research. I am truly grateful for the encouragement and freedom she provided, supporting my desire to conduct research in an area which I am deeply passionate about. Thank you for believing in me. I also would like to thank Dr. Safai for having selected the eclectic group known as the Safai lab. Many great friendships have developed out of this group, with many memories and laughs shared, so a special shout-out to Cheryl, Bryan and Danielle - "So Social!" Love you all! This thesis would not have been possible without the wonderful support of my family. My mother has supported me throughout my life, encouraging me continuously. v Her enthusiasm towards hockey is second to none. Mom, you are my biggest inspiration. I cannot put into words what you mean to me. My sister who always agreed to (painfully I'm sure) proof-read my assignments throughout university. Every edit served to help advance me to where I am today. Thank you for all your support throughout this journey. I'd also like to thank my father, who has supported me throughout my academic journey, allowing me to pursue my dreams. You have all had an influence upon me and all I hope to do is make you proud. I have been blessed in my life to have a strong support network above and beyond those who I've mentioned thus far. To all my dear friends who have listened about my research, helped with recruitment, or just encouraged me to keep pursuing my dreams: you all mean so much to me. Thank you for being in my corner. To my boys (as you will always be), the Hawks. You welcomed me and allowed me to share in certain aspects of your "world." The way you all have embraced me is beyond words. It is partially due to your acceptance of me as part of the group that I was able to conduct this study. The countless hours of postgame talks helped me understand the game from a different perspective, a player's perspective. I will always be your number one fan! I wouldn't be able to complete this acknowledgement without mentioning Ralph Pellicori. His support as well as his input has been invaluable to this project. I must thank him for the countless hours we spent discussing, arguing and analyzing; this helped shape this research as well as capture different perspectives countering my preexisting vi beliefs. Thank you for being so superstitious yourself. It influenced the direction of my research. Last but not least, I'd like to extend my sincerest gratitude to the study participants who agreed to participate in this study. They opened their lives to me and shared their experiences. Without them, this project would not have been possible. I hope that I have represented and honoured them accordingly. vii FOREWORD Choosing a topic for a Master's thesis was not an easy feat. I was looking for a topic to inspire me, as well as one where I felt I could produce a significant piece of work; one that would be impactful upon the hockey community. I had to remind myself that I was only in a Master's program and I did not have the experience nor was I granted the luxury of time to conquer the world. Due to my involvement with a men's recreational hockey team, I observed and contemplated and discussed which direction I could potentially take my research in with some of the players in this league. The reason I decided to focus my research on routines and superstitions is two­ fold. After a 7-year involvement with the men's team and having observed particular players engaging in interesting patterns of behaviour prior to each game, I was intrigued by the importance and attention these players would give to those patterns of behaviour. Having discussed these behaviours with these individuals, it was explained to me that certain beliefs were attached to these behaviours, and this created an inquisition which was not easily answered. How did these beliefs become attributed to these behaviours, ultimately becoming a normalized part of hockey? Why were they given so much importance? The second part of my focus on routines and superstitions arose from the following: Howard Beck (2009), a columnist from the New York Times, wrote an article about a change in the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) game day routine. The Celtics, who practice a game-day routine, known as the shoot-around, decided to allow their players to sleep in rather than be at the arena between 9 and 10am. viii Their decision was based on recent evidence from a specialist in sleep, Dr. Charles Czeisler, who believes that sleep should be a priority in order for athletes to excel. Shortly after this article was published Brian Burke, the General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, informed the media that he was evaluating this information and was considering removing the morning skate, a normalized segment of a professional hockey player's game day routine (torontomapleleafs.com, 2009). The Boston Celtics recorded 50 wins and 32 losses in the 2009/10 season after removing the morning shoot around for the entire season (Beck, 2009). In the previous two seasons, the morning shoot-around was removed in the second half of the season only. In those two seasons the Boston Celtics posted a better win/loss record with 62 wins and 20 losses in the 2008/09 season and 66 wins 16 losses in the 2007/08 season compared to the 2006/07 season where they posted 24 wins and 52 losses (NBA Media Ventures, 2010).