5 Reasons Why Home Games Are Such An Advantage

Hey, is anyone out there? To those who have been keeping up with Beyond the Game, I apologize for the absence of new and exciting posts. The truth is, I have been internally debating and reject post idea after post idea on account of unremarkable content. However, the relocation of the blog and new and improved design has really got my creative juices flowing. So in honor of todays big home game I present to you the 5 Reasons Why Home Games Are Such An Advantage [to the home team, of course].


5. A Home Cooked Meal

What does a home cooked meal have anything to do with home ice advantage? It all relates back to game day as a whole. When you get to the college level, there is a game-day routine that starts with a pre-game skate followed by team meal. For home games, the team all goes to their favorite restaurant, in Boston University's case its the famous T Anthony's Restaurant, to fuel up. This meal can be seen as a family meal shared in the comfort of their own living room. This meal is crucial to setting the stage for the big game.

4.  Location, Location, Location. 


Home games mean playing in your own backyard. For college teams, dorm rooms or houses are usually within walking distance of the rink. There is comfort knowing that you are footsteps from your barn. Such close location also means that players can spend an additional hour or two or three in their rooms relaxing and getting mentally focused on the game. There is no rush to getting on a bus and driving to the game. This has a subconscious effect on mental focus and preparation.




3.  The Wheels on the Bus don't matter 


Playing at home means not having to be cooped up in a Peter Pan bus for hours. They might have TV's and a surprisingly fancy bathroom, but the leg room is sufficient enough for an ant. Hockey players are generally big guys and their legs are arguably the most important body part. Sitting in a vertical fetal position for an hour ride is going to cause the leg muscles to get tight and cramped up. Home games are great because the bus stays parked in the garage and the legs are loosey-goosey before game time.


2.  The Sacred Game-Day Rituals 


For those who may not be aware, hockey players as a group are the most superstitious athletes around. From the peewees all the way up to the pros, each and every single player has a special routine that starts in the second they roll out of bed until the final buzzer sounds. It is a science; it is a sacred ritual. Some guys listen to the same song over and over again, while standing in the same corner of the same hallway, taping their stick with the same roll of tape at the same time hours before the game. Others, perform the same stretching routine, with the same few teammates, in the same order. One of my personal favorites is when a group of guys will circle up and play hacky-sack with a small soccer ball and not stop until achieving a certain number of taps without the ball hitting the ground.

I have had the (un)fortunate opportunity to experience these rituals first hand, and let me tell you, the slightest interruption or change in a routine can result in a complete loss of focus. "Well that's just silly! All of these routines can be done on the road as well," you might argue. This was also my initial reaction. Watching guys become noticeably affected when their favorite roll of tape was left at the rink, or their lucky jock-strap accidently got washed. But to these guys, their routine is sacred. Road games are a major obstacle in the proper execution of a ritual. Some rinks don't sell cherry gatorade or a warm room to stretch in. And even if they did, it's not the same as being in their own barn, where the routine originated. Being at home provides a familiar, comfortable setting where these sacred rituals can be properly and efficiently done.


1.  The Home Crowd. 

Absolutely, the home crowed is the number one advantage of playing at home. The beauty of the home crowed at the collegiate level is that the majority of the fans there are students who simply go to the games to show their school spirit and don't necessarily know much about the game at all. Because of this, every minor hit or impressive play results in crazed fans "ohhh-ing" and "aahhh-ing" and screaming at the top of their lungs. Nothing gets a team more fired up than when they know their home fans are behind them. Players subconsciously try to be the reason that fans erupt, which causes them to perform and the highest levels, making the team better as a whole.