NHL Players Share Their Biggest Pet Peeves
Hockey players can be an ornery bunch—look no further than post-whistle scrums.
But what really irks some of the game’s biggest stars? Their answers included a whole lot of exactly what fans could imagine, and then some as they shared their biggest annoyances in the NHL's latest edition of Puck Personality.
For instance, Ducks forward Ryan Getzlaf, Blues winger Vladimir Tarasenko, Capitals forward T.J. Oshie and Golden Knights netminder Marc-Andre Fleury are no fans of divers and embellishers.
“Anyone that embellishes, I think, is not fun to watch,” Oshie said. “If he’s on your team, you better talk to him.”
Another one of the biggest answers surrounds the age-old hockey superstition, which many players don’t seem to have the time for.
“When people have really crazy superstitions and you don’t know about it and you mess someone’s up and they’re all mad at you and you have no idea what you just did,” Lightning forward Tyler Johnson said.
There are plenty of players who agree with Johnson, including Predators defenseman Roman Josi and Senators blueliner Erik Karlsson—who avoids the practice entirely.
"Superstitions annoy me, that’s why I consider myself not having any,” he said.
And then, there are the little things. Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask doesn’t like to be left waiting, and based on his legendary temper, it’s maybe a good idea to be on time around him. Don't mess up a skate sharpening for Sharks goaltender Martin Jones. Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon is no fan of wet equipment—to be fair, who is?—while Rangers defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk just wants to see some manners in the locker room.
“A lot of people don’t say ‘god bless you’ after a sneeze, I’ve found,” he says. “I always say it. Every time I sneeze, I’m kind of looking around for someone and it never comes. That irks me a little bit."