Athletes are an oddly superstitious bunch. That's what happens when you find yourself in the singe-digit percentage of human beings capable of doing what you do while getting paid millions of dollars to do it. I guess when you're that lucky, you don't want to change a thing, underwear included. Enter Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman, who became the first ever Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman to ever go viral this week thanks in large part to his truly, utterly, ridiculously entertaining pre-game warm-up routine:
Now Victor Hedman may be from Sweden, but this is some authentic Wild West shit—the kind of thing that would have earned you a shot of whiskey and a discount on the female accompaniment at Doc Holster's Watering Hole and Hardware circa '49 (1849, that is). But while Hedman is getting most of the plaudits for this frozen Five Finger Filet, the lowly equipment manager deserves the lion's share of credit here. Not only does he have such faith in Hedman's hand-eye coordination that he literally doesn't even blink while nearly getting his digits lopped off, he will also be doing this night in, night out until Hedman is traded or Lightning HR puts a stop to the fun.
Here's hoping neither comes to pass, because we can't stop watching, irreparable psychological damage to a total stranger be damned.