Hockey players are a superstitious lot. Like all athletes, they are creatures of habit and occasional changes to their routine end up backfiring.
During the offseason, Alex Ovechkin introduced us to the hockey stick he was planning on using during the new season, the CCM Super Tacks AS2 Pro. The introduction came via a memorable 30 second commercial, featuring a goalie having a nightmare where he faces down the Great 8 with his new stick.
Ovi started the season with his trusty old CCM Ribcor Trigger ASY, which won him the "Rocket" Richard Trophy as the league's top goalscorer last season, with 51. After 13 goals in the first 18 games, Ovechkin switched to the new stick for a goalless game, which coincided with the Capitals breaking a six game winning streak. Going back to the old stick, he scored 7 in 9 games and decided to give the new one another extended try.
With the AS2 Pro, Ovechkin scored just 4 goals in his next 15 games, with a -10 rating in the process. Ovechkin went back to the Trigger ASY on January 6th and hasn't looked back.
In 16 games with the new stick, Ovechkin had a total of 4 goals. In 33 games with the old stick, he has 30, including two consecutive hat tricks. He now trails David Pastrnak by only two goals for the league lead. The nightmare is over for Ovechkin, but it is beginning again for the rest of the league.
Source: Sports.ru
