Sens fight ‘Chiarelli Curse’
These are superstitious days for Sens Nation.How else do you explain Coun. Rick Chiarelli’s presence at the Canadian Tire Centre on Monday night, where he tried to — knock on wood — turn things around for the struggling Senators?
The councillor went to the arena to ward off what some bloggers and tweeters have dubbed the Chiarelli Curse, a streak of bad luck during which the Sens have lost three games in a row.
“A lot of people seem to be under the impression that there is a jinx ... that I brought on because of the Sens Mile,” he said.
The councillor introduced a motion last week to open Sens Mile early. The Senators quickly interceded, suggesting that, since they hadn’t made the playoffs yet, erecting the street signs designating the Elgin Street strip would be premature.
Ever since the false start, the team hasn’t won a game, and their Hamburglar-fuelled run at a playoff berth appears in jeopardy.
Some fans went so far as to set up an online petition calling for Chiarelli to be removed from city council, saying it’s “the only way to reverse the Sens Mile jinx he has placed on our playoff ambitions.”
After some research, Chiarelli said he learned that knocking on wood seven times can turn around a jinx.
So w he showed up at the arena to give it a try, using the stick from the first campaign sign he put in the ground for his last election. He gave it seven raps with his ring.
Chiarelli said he doesn’t really believe in jinxes, curses or other sports superstitions. But he understands the power of them. “In my younger days, believe it or not, when I was in better shape, I used to play competitive hockey and many players had their own rituals.” Has Chiarelli now broken his jinx? Fans will find out Tuesday night when the Sens play the Red Wings in Detroit.
In the meantime, the Citizen talked to some experts about the team’s bad mojo and other options for mending the late-season magic. 1 Is this really Chiarelli’s fault? Maybe. “It’s a part of human nature to see a bad omen in breaking tradition,” said Ottawa psychic Wendy James. “I don’t want to say Chiarelli’s the only reason for the losses but, in my opinion, I think it might’ve made a bit of a difference.” 2
A communal ceremony might be needed
The ceremony Chiarelli went through Monday could do some good. “The power of suggestion and the mind is more powerful than any magic,” said James. “Any kind of dramatic ceremony that for the team symbolically suggests the curse is lifted can do wonders.”
One of her personal suggestions is a moment of silence for all of Ottawa, including the team, to send “positive energy for the playoffs.” Even lighting team candles and walking down Elgin Street could do the trick, she says. James said it’s the suggestion to the subconscious that the energy has been changed that actually changes it, “even if (skeptics) don’t believe it.” 3 Stop saying ’curse’! Even using the words “curse” and “jinx” is not doing the team any favours. The more the words are used, the more powerful they become and the more likely the team and fans are going to believe it.
“It’s important to stop using the word ‘curse’ because it can hobble your team by doing that. It’s a scary word, and when you give energy to it, it spreads like wildfire. It’s not about magic, because if it were, we’d all be sprinkling sparkly dust trying to do good things for the team. It’s about psychology.” 4 Time for a backup ritual? Martine Tarent, a sports psychology consultant at the Ottawa High Performance Centre, often deals with athletes who have rituals.
“Rituals help manage the stress that comes with competing at a high level,” said Tarent. “For some players, the idea of a curse could’ve been too much. Some of them, it probably didn’t even touch. But when you’re that close to making the playoffs, every little bit is crucial.” Anything from eating chicken before every game to always putting on a left sock first can be part of how an athlete prepares for a games. Tarent suggests players have a backup ritual for when their games don’t go as planned. 5 Back to basics The jinx is not going away without old-fashioned work ethic.
“The team needs to focus on the things they can control, rather than what they cannot control,” said Tarent. “They can control the physical side of things and focus on their skills, like passing and (stickhandling), rather than on superstitions that can give them doubts and bring them towards a downward spiral.”