Doing something once or twice doesn't mean that it's a routine. Repeating the same set of tasks again and again to the point that they become second nature is a familiar process for players in the NHL.
For Alex Tuch, following the same routine on each gameday is all there is.
"I'm pretty superstitious," Tuch said. "My routine depends if we're home or away."
Whether he's superstitious, or just a little stitious, whatever he's been doing before games has been working for the 22-year-old forward. Tuch, who has 25 points in 28 games this season, has avoided the proverbial sophomore slump that can limit the success of second-year players in the NHL. In order to keep things that way, Tuch wants to make sure he doesn't surprise himself with anything that would distract him on a gameday.
"If it's a 7 p.m. game, I nap from 1:30 to about 3:20, 3:30," Tuch said. "I head over to the rink at 4-ish, depending on the day of the week and traffic. I come into the rink, get changed, have a snack, make my water bottles and tape my sticks. Everything's set pretty much down to a couple of minutes."
Pregame Routine Helps Tuch Focus On Gamedays
His focus on a game day remains on the contest ahead of him that night and everything else going on around him becomes secondary. Once a hockey player is in his routine, preparation is the primary focus and, for a player like Tuch, nothing can be out of place - especially not the placement of his sticks.
"I have a certain spot I leave my sticks at the home rink and I find a spot at the away rink that I like," Tuch said. "There are the little things like that I do for every game to get ready. You want to have your body get used to it and get ready for a game and not throw in any curveballs."
As the 2018-19 season has gone on, Tuch has been slotted in the lineup on the second line with a variety of players. Injuries have often been to blame for the switches in line combinations. Tuch missed the first eight games of the season and, when he returned to the lineup on Oct. 24, the Golden Knights were without center Paul Stastny who many presumed would center a line with Tuch and Max Pacioretty.
While Stastny battled to come back to the lineup, Tuch found success with Erik Haula at center, but when the injury bug bit him too, Tuch lined up with Cody Eakin. The Vegas coaching staff would obviously prefer to have every player healthy for all 82 games, but Tuch has found ways to adapt to any linemates that he's slated with on any given night.
"Everybody that's played on the second line has been awesome, I think there's been about 10 of us so far," Tuch said. "We've been having a lot of fun and that's been helping my point production a lot. You can put anyone in there and they're easy to play with. They're smart, they play hard, and that's what we want to do."
When a change in the team's composition forces Tuch into playing with new linemates, he said his goal is to stay consistent and make sure he's playing the game that he's known for. Any variation in his style of play might surprise or confuse a new linemate, so Tuch makes sure that the game he'd play with Eakin and Oscar Lindberg is the same that he plays with Stastny and Pacioretty.
"I just try to play as simple as possible," Tuch said. "I try to skate with the puck and I try to play that big, strong, fast game. I'm always learning where different players are going to be and I'm trying to find those spots. I've figured out where Pacioretty is going to be and, when I've played with Lindberg, I've known where he was going to be in the offensive zone. It's a lot of communication during the game and that helps a lot."
Tuch and Stastny finally played together on Dec. 14 against the New Jersey Devils and the chemistry between them was evident right away. Tuch's goal in that game foreshadowed a stellar performance against the New York Rangers on Dec. 16. Tuch assisted on Stastny's first goal as a Golden Knight and Stastny returned the favor in overtime as Tuch netted the game-winning goal.
"He's an unbelievable passer and playmaker," Tuch said. "He's really easy to play with."
