Unwashed jerseys, unshaven beards and baby names are among Edmonton hockey fans biggest superstitions

Edmonton Oilers fans arrive for Game 6 of the Western Conference finals of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs against the Dallas Stars in Edmonton, Sunday, June 2, 2024. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh)

Hockey fans are excited to see how their favourite team will fare in this year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs, but how far will fans go to help out their team?

A report from Canada Sports Betting reveals how superstitious fans can be, from breaking out their lucky jerseys to refusing to shave their beards.

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Edmonton Oilers fans are dedicated, to say the least. They stood behind their team through thick and thin, especially during a 10-season playoff drought which started in 2006.

According to the site, 38 per cent of Oilers fans admit to growing a playoff beard. Additionally, 31 per cent of Oil Country fanatics refuse to wash their jerseys during the playoffs.

Fans in Las Vegas claim the crown in dirty apparel as 71 per cent of their fanbase deny their jersey from a proper sudsing during a winning streak.

Apparently, what happens in Vegas stays on their jerseys.

Canada’s largest city has a fair share of superstitious hockey lovers out east, with one out of five Leafs fans admitting to participating in game-day rituals.

The Toronto and Pittsburgh crowds wear their fandom on their face, as 40 per cent of their devotees avoid shaving during their team’s cup run.

Continuing on the Toronto trend, 15 per cent of Leafs fans with kids have named their children after hockey players.

It must be hard being named Auston and only having a sippy cup to drink out of instead of a Stanley Cup.

As for the Buffalo Sabres admirers, nearly half of them run their jerseys through a cycle. Their 13-season playoff absence is purely coincidental.

Whether or not superstitions help a team inch closer to the Stanley Cup, those traditions bring out the best in hockey fans while connecting them to their heroes.