The goalie position is the one position with the most superstitions that must be done exactly the same before each game.
Whether it’s putting on your left skate on before the right skate or wearing the same socks, each goalie has a different routine. Some are weirder than others, but it’s what makes the goalie position so interesting.
For Philadelphia Flyers starter Dan Vladar, his routine starts with his breathing.
“I just focus on my breathing,” Vladar said on his pregame routine. “I got some sort of routine that, you know, I’m always going back to that’s been working for me.”
However, the one thing that matters the most to him before each start comes with his son Matteo.
Before exiting the ice at every home start, Vladar skates to the zamboni tunnel to share a moment with his son.
“When my son’s able to come, you know, it’s even better,” he said when asked about his moment with his son. “Giving me the head bumps on the glass and then a kiss, it gets me ready.”
Sometimes pregame rituals are confusing to understand, but this one is very easy for Flyers Dan Vladar. Before he exits the ice for every home start, he skates to the zamboni tunnel to do three head nods with his son. A moment he never forgets to do. #LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/A91xfxoqWy
— Brandon J. Sommermann (@B_Sommermann) January 8, 2026
The father and son moment is something that is close to Vladar’s heart. It is something that he never forgets to do with his best buddy.
“It’s awesome, right? Our relationship and connection, I’m just trying to be his best buddy,” he said on how it makes him feel. “Just kind of trying to show him the way. But, obviously, I’m not putting any pressure on him and want him to be a happy kid.”
The moment the two share before the game started in Calgary. But, since Vladar has taken over the starter’s role in Philadelphia, it has become more noticeable.
“It started in Calgary,” he said. “Obviously, I’m playing more games here, and it happens more often.”
Vladar added, “So every time he is here watching me and wanting me to do well. But, he hates when I get scored on.”
Moments like these are sometimes needed to keep things fresh. For Vladar, though, its moments like these that you just can’t take for granted.
“It means a lot to me,” he said about the meaning behind it. “I for sure don’t take it for granted.”
Best part of warmups 😍 pic.twitter.com/b0iVAPqSzj
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) March 6, 2026
