Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang on Thursday did something they never do before a game -- go without their helmets in warmups.
All three guys have their superstitions, with Crosby being notoriously superstitious. It's very rare to see him switch up a routine. So, I of course had to ask Crosby after Friday's practice in Anaheim why they did that.
"When I was getting ready to go out, Tanger wasn't putting his on and Geno wasn't putting his on," Crosby explained with a grin. "I took that as a hint that they were going no buckets. It wasn't something that really had to be discussed, I kind of figured it out pretty quick as to why they weren't wearing helmets."
The reason, Crosby immediately assumed, was because they didn't wear helmets the game before in Los Angeles -- all players wore Los Angeles Fire Department hats to support the first responders to the California wildfires. They won that game 5-1, and figured that they should go no-helmet in Anaheim too.
"We didn't wear them the game before, and I thought it would be funny if we kept it going," Letang said.
The Penguins, of course, dropped that game against the Ducks with a 5-1 loss. I asked Crosby if it's fair to assume that the helmets will be back as a result, and he said, "Oh yeah."
I told Crosby that the decision caused quite a stir on the internet, and the speculation was that he must have been behind the change, given how he is with his superstitions. He laughed at the notion and said, "You all think you know me so well."
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THE ASYLUM
Taylor Haase
9:23 pm - 01.24.2025Anaheim, Calif.Crosby explains no-helmet warmup
Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang on Thursday did something they never do before a game -- go without their helmets in warmups.
All three guys have their superstitions, with Crosby being notoriously superstitious. It's very rare to see him switch up a routine. So, I of course had to ask Crosby after Friday's practice in Anaheim why they did that.
"When I was getting ready to go out, Tanger wasn't putting his on and Geno wasn't putting his on," Crosby explained with a grin. "I took that as a hint that they were going no buckets. It wasn't something that really had to be discussed, I kind of figured it out pretty quick as to why they weren't wearing helmets."
The reason, Crosby immediately assumed, was because they didn't wear helmets the game before in Los Angeles -- all players wore Los Angeles Fire Department hats to support the first responders to the California wildfires. They won that game 5-1, and figured that they should go no-helmet in Anaheim too.
"We didn't wear them the game before, and I thought it would be funny if we kept it going," Letang said.
The Penguins, of course, dropped that game against the Ducks with a 5-1 loss. I asked Crosby if it's fair to assume that the helmets will be back as a result, and he said, "Oh yeah."
I told Crosby that the decision caused quite a stir on the internet, and the speculation was that he must have been behind the change, given how he is with his superstitions. He laughed at the notion and said, "You all think you know me so well."
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