Just for the hockey fans

Or Daryl "Razor" Reaugh fans. (Yeah, the rest of you won't care.)

Razor thinks it's silly that Stars fans are superstitious. Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen was having a great season, but until just a few games ago he didn't have a shut out as a Dallas Star. Every time the opposing team hadn't scored and the third period started drawing to a close, Razor would comment (on the radio & in-arena broadcast), "Maybe Kari will finally get his shut out," or "It looks like we're headed for a shut out." Then the other team would score, and the fans would be pissed at Razor.

His point, reasonably enough, was that preventing the other team from scoring, or not, has more to do with the guys on the ice and how they're playing than with him saying the forbidden words, "shut out."

Okay, sure. I acknowledge the truth of that. But let me point out a couple of things.

First, sports fans are the most superstitious human beings on the face of the planet. Pay attention, Razor: There's something going on on the ice (or field or court or whatever), about which we care a great deal. We have no actual control over it, which is not a good feeling. So we start to notice things….When we're standing up, our team scores; when we sit down, they miss. When we have our caps turned backwards, they play well; when we turn them around, they don't. When we have gloves on, or our legs are crossed, or we wear blue socks, or we clap three times, it somehow seems to help them. And what kind of fans would we be if we didn't try to help our guys? So we wear gloves to clap three times as we sit in our blue socks with our legs crossed. Silly? Okay. Understandable? You bet.

Secondly, the Stars were doing great! I mean, beyond anyone's wildest dreams, they were playing so well and winning so much. They were #1 in their Division for 74 days. 74 days! Then on January 19th, you said, "For the Stars to fall out of the top eight over the final 34 games would be improbable to damn near impossible." And on January 27th, you said they had, "Momentum that I doubt can be halted…."

Well, as of now they're out of the playoffs and lately they just can't win a game, no matter how hard or well they play.

Oh, sure, I realize, we all realize, that you're not actually to blame. But, again, it's hard for even rational fans to not take pause at that. So I'm going to suggest something. Something that will make all those superstitious fans feel better: Let's Do Something To Razor. In effigy, of course; let's not get crazy here.

If you're not familiar with the word 'effigy,' look it up. I'm certainly not suggesting anyone do anything to Daryl Reaugh himself (please, please don't), but if we could come up with an inanimate substitute, that might be worth a try. Maybe we could reverse the bad mojo (yes, I do know how crazy that sounds) by hanging it, or burning it, or just pummeling it with pucks (I've got one with a Tobias Stephan autograph I'll donate to the cause).

I mean, if there's nothing to it, well…what could it hurt? (Tell your friends!)