Superstitious? No, not our Rene Bourque(notes).Why, the young man scoffs at the mere mention of the s-word.
But it is pertinent to the day's topic - the Calgary Flames winger, with five goals in the past two games, is the hottest thing in the National Hockey League. What measures would a player take to keep a spree kicking?
Dishing up the same pre-game meal perhaps?
"I couldn't tell you what I ate the last three days," says Bourque, chuckling. "I don't even remember. A different thing every day."
Sure, sure.
OK, what would you call a fellow who refuses to use his game stick in practice? Or even in warm-up?
Superstitious?
Or simply practical?
Because, with good reason, Bourque is babying his magic wand - it's a new model and he has only one in his possession. Following Monday's practice, he seems almost embarrassed by the stick's sudden notoriety. Pressed, he supplies background.
"It had been sitting in my locker for a while," says Bourque. "So I gave it a shot the other night."
In its debut Friday, it propelled three pucks into the Columbus net.
At that point, Bourque decided to protect the precious twig.
He kept it out of harm's way during the warm-up of Sunday's match against the San Jose Sharks. Only at game time did he dare to shake it out of its scabbard. Result: two more goals.
Now Bourque, who typically mows through a stick per night, will ease his new best friend into today's contest against the Edmonton Oilers. He's not optimistic about its survival.
"I don't know how much that one has left. We'll see," he says. "It's already almost broke, so it probably won't even last the game."
The stick company has promised an airlift of reinforcements.
"They always tell you that," says Bourque.
Coincidentally, last November, Jarome Iginla(notes) scalded the circuit for 13 goals in 14 games - en route to being named NHL player of the month - after changing blade patterns.
The Flames captain opted for a bigger curve, then went nuts.
Bourque's tinkering had been about control.
"A little more blade on the ice," says the 28-year-old, who'd wanted a model with a more upright lie. "I felt like I was losing the puck a lot when I was stickhandling … off the toe of my stick, especially on my backhand. A minor change, but it's been working well. So I'm going to stick with it."
Good plan.
His recent heroics - six tallies, including three game-winners - earned him NHL player of the week honours. Bourque's output overshadowed the handiwork of St. Louis netminder Jaroslav Halak(notes) (2-0-1, 1.62 GAA) and Tampa Bay centre Steve Stamkos (nine points).
"Any time anybody's on fire, pucks are going in the net," says Bourque. "This would be a tough week to repeat at any time on any team, no matter who you're playing with or who you're playing against.
"It's weird - you can't really think about how you're going to score a goal. It just happens."
It seems like an appropriate time to ask the Lac La Biche, Alta., native about the spotlight - specifically, his level of comfort while in it.
"Oh, I don't mind," says Bourque, who, hemmed into his dressing-room stall by microphones and cameras, does appear at ease. "It's not bad. I don't think I'm getting any more attention … there's so much media here every day. So it doesn't make a difference. Maybe a few more interviews here or there. It's easy to deal with when it's positive.
"But I don't know how Iggy does it every day - when you think about it - and for so long."
One of the most striking elements of Bourque's roll is the timing - immediately after recovering from an injury.
Knocked for a loop Oct. 10 against the Los Angeles Kings, he had been sidelined for more than a week, missing two games and most of the team's on-ice sessions.
Yet he stayed rust-free.
"It was weird because I didn't skate for a whole week - I practised once and played," says Bourque, who stroked an overtime winner Oct. 19 at Nashville. "I felt really rested when I came back."
In Bourque's first season with the Flames, he got into 58 games and scored 21 times, despite zero power-play activation (thanks, Mike Keenan). He pushed his goal total to 27 goals, in 73 games, last winter.
What's next?
"I've said it before - he could be a 40-goal guy, maybe more," says Craig Conroy(notes).
"He just has to keep that confidence and just build on it. Because, at 28 years old, he's a young guy with some great years ahead of him. But this looks like his coming-out party right now."
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