Another Year, Another Hockey Magnet Defeat
Every year before the hockey playoffs, my family gathers around a board covered in team magnets.
This is serious business.
We move the teams through each round, predicting who will win until we’ve chosen the team we believe will take the Stanley Cup.
We’ve been doing this for more than ten years.
And I have never won.
Not once.
You’d think that after a decade, probability alone would have stepped in to help me. At some point, I should accidentally choose the right team.
Apparently not.
I try to make informed decisions. I consider how the teams played during the season, injuries, goaltending, playoff history, and anything else that might give me an advantage.
My kids choose teams based on jersey colours.
And they’ve won more times than I have.
One year, a team advances because they have a nice shade of blue. Another year, someone picks a team because they like the logo.
Meanwhile, I’m studying matchups like this is an important professional responsibility.
It has not helped.
This year, my father-in-law won.
Not me.
Again.
At this point, the hockey magnet board feels less like a fun family tradition and more like an annual opportunity for everyone to prove they’re better at predicting hockey than I am.
Even the people selecting teams based on which jersey would look best with their shoes.
Still, I keep coming back every year.
Because surely my luck has to change eventually.
There are only so many teams. Only so many possible playoff combinations. Mathematically, I should win at some point.
Although after more than ten years, I’m beginning to suspect the hockey magnets have something against me personally.
Maybe next year will finally be my year.
Or maybe I should stop looking at statistics and choose whichever team has the prettiest jersey.
Apparently, that’s the winning strategy.
