How do Blackhawks prepare for games? Sewer ball, for some

In a hallway deep inside the United Center before a recent game, Blackhawks players are playing a boisterous contest of what many call "sewer ball."

Outside the dressing room, Patrick Sharp is sitting on the floor with his back against the wall, headphones on, bouncing a tennis ball off anything that catches his eye.

Inside the dressing room, captain Jonathan Toews sits at his stall deep in thought, visualizing making plays good and bad to mentally prepare himself for what lays ahead.

While pregame activities differ for each player, they serve a vital role.

"It's really important," Sharp said. "There are a lot of ups and downs throughout a season individually and as a team and that game preparation, whether you have a superstition or a routine, whatever you want to call it, it kind of puts you into that comfort zone and gets you ready to play the game and be ready for whatever can happen."

The most popular pregame warmup is sewer ball, also known as two-touch, and it usually starts with Andrew Shaw and Bryan Bickell departing the dressing room in search of an empty hallway. When they find one, whether at the UC or another NHL arena, the pair begins to kick around a blue soccer ball. Soon, Hawks teammates join in and the group becomes a circle.

It's great fun but also helps work out the kinks and gets their bodies warmed up for three hours of skating and hitting.

The objective of sewer ball is to keep the ball in the air with each player allowed two touches but not with their hands before sending it toward a teammate. If the ball hits the ground, the offending player is out and the game continues until one remains. In the process, some remarkable athletic feats often occur and hilarity can ensue as b***s ricochet off garbage cans, overhead lights and on occasion, passersby.

The origin of the name sewer ball is unclear, but some say it's because the game inspires a certain level of gamesmanship or dubious "rat moves" to succeed.

And, of course, then there is the chirping.

"We call (Marcus) Kruger 'the worst,'" Shaw said with a grin. "He isn't, but we try to get into his head a little bit."

The reigning sewer ball champion is Niklas Hjalmarsson, which makes sense because as a teenager the defenseman participated in Swedish national team tryouts for soccer and hockey.

"It was a tough choice for me when I was younger to decide what to play," Hjalmarsson said. "For a while, I thought about quitting hockey and going all in on soccer. I just liked the more physical aspect of hockey. It's more intense."

During sewer ball, Hjalmarsson doesn't display that intensity as much as Shaw and others do, and that can rankle those involved.

"His work ethic is questionable," Shaw said. "He's got a lot of skill, but I think guys like me and Bickell, guys who try to get every ball possible, sometimes it doesn't work in our favor. If (Hjalmarsson) doesn't think he can't handle it, he doesn't even try for it."

Of course, Hjalmarsson has a response.

"I don't move more than I have to," he said. "I save my energy for the hockey games while Shaw has too much energy so he's always all over the place, especially in sewer ball. He's really working hard."

While an occasional participant in the two-touch ritual, Sharp doesn't have a set routine for preparing for games.

"I'm a little different than most guys," he said. "I kind of go on that day based on how I feel. I do different things, whether it's stretching running, biking or jumping.

"One thing that is consistent is that I like to listen to music mostly Pearl Jam, they're my favorite band and I do have a tennis ball that's been with me since I started playing pro hockey. I just kind of throw that either off guys' backs when they're not looking or off the wall or play catch with somebody."

Wait a minute, Sharp uses the same tennis ball since breaking into the NHL in 2002?

"Same tennis ball," Sharp said. "It's pretty gross. We've had to put some sanitizer on to try to clean it as best we can, but it's the same one."

Not surprisingly, Toews takes a more serious tack during his pregame routine. There is no music or sewer ball.

"I just kind of sit around at my locker and visualize," Toews said. "It's not only to envision things that I want to do successfully, but sometimes it doesn't hurt to envision situations that maybe take your confidence away, like if you get scored on your first shift or if things don't go your way, how are you going to react? Are you going to try to bounce back and maintain your focus and say that it's all right, there's always a way out? That's a thing I've learned to focus on this year. I make sure the body is ready and my mind is in the right place and try to forget about anything else."

Whatever the formula, Kruger said the key for him and most players is to do the same things before each game.

"Most of the guys always try to do the same routine every day," he said. "You get here in the morning, skate and then you do a stretch and go home and maybe take a nap and then get ready for the game. It's getting mentally ready. If you do the same thing you know you're in game mode."

ckuc@tribpub.com

Twitter @ChrisKuc

Copyright 2015, Chicago Tribune

Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/hockey/blackhawks/ct-blackhawks-pregame-ritual-spt-0504-20150503-story.html