Brass Bonanza

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Brass Bonanza, also known as the "Hartford Whalers Victory March" was adopted by the Hartford Whalers as their theme song during their tenure in the World Hockey Association, and remained so through their years in the National Hockey League. It was originally written by Jack Say.

Full versions, game-time versions and ringtones of the song are readily available at BrassBonanza.com, a fansite devoted to the Whalers and the Bonanza.

[edit] Song History

Jack Say, an aspiring musician, sold a piece of music to a record library and moved to Austria. Former Whalers official George Ducharme came across the piece. According to Ducharme: "It was one of those lucky things," he recalls. "The song was handed to us - arranged and orchestrated - in 1975–1976 and we didn't have to do a thing... "During the second season the team was in Hartford (1975–1976), I began to notice that there was something missing in the atmosphere in the building. We needed something, like a theme song, to add to the excitement when a goal was scored. But coming up with the right song was a different matter," he said. "I had the record at home for a couple of weeks," Ducharme said, "but never played it. Then, one Sunday, we had company over and one of the guests played the record for fun. When I heard the song I knew immediately it was perfect for us." He used it as a "bridge" on a 1976 Whalers highlights LP - the song became a hit, and stuck with the team from then on.

According to Jeff Jacobs of the Hartford Courant, "Gordie Howe once began humming Brass Bonanza in my ear. He said he loved to hear it as a visiting player for the Houston Aeros, but hearing it every night with the Whalers "began to drive me nuts.""

[edit] The Legacy Continues

• Brass Bonanza was played in its entirety minutes before game time of the Carolina Hurricanes second round playoff opener at home against the New Jersey Devils on May 6, 2006 as the video board showed fans in Whalers jerseys who came to the game. The Hurricanes won that game 6-0. (Note: The Whalers moved to North Carolina and became the Hurricanes in 1997.)
• Chris Pronger of the Edmonton Oilers, who began his career as a Whaler, was recently quoted in The Globe and Mail during the Oilers series versus the Hurricanes as saying about his tenure in Hartford: "The biggest thing I remember is the Brass Bonanza. I can't get it out of my head." David Shoalts, the writer of the article, followed this by saying "This drew a laugh at the Oilers press conference yesterday from those who were around before the Whalers moved here. Almost all of them remember one of the most distinctive, if maddening, bits of music in NHL history."
• The song is currently played by the nationally-renowned University of Connecticut Pep Band and Marching Band. They can be heard at all Men's and Women's Basketball games, football games, and select Men's Ice Hockey games.
• The Bonanza continues to be occasionally played at the Whalers' former home arena, the Hartford Civic Center, and is sometimes played during Boston Red Sox games at Fenway Park between innings or after run scoring plays.
• The song was played after each goal scored by the Williams College men's hockey team during the 2005-2006 season, and the fans would dance The Watusi.
• In addition, it is also currently played by the Sacred Heart University Pep Band at select Men's Ice Hockey, Men's Basketball, and Women's Basketball games and by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's America's Pep Band. It was arranged for that group by James Cronen and can be heard at select Men's Ice Hockey games.
• The song is often played at Northeastern University men's hockey games, at the request of Dog House member and longtime Whaler fan Jim Sargent.
• The song was heard over the speakers multiple times at the William H. Detrick Gymnasium during the Men's Basketball NEC Tournament Quarterfinal game on March 3, 2006 featuring Sacred Heart University at Central Connecticut State University.
• The song can be heard at the Arrowhead Pond for 30 seconds after every Anaheim Ducks victory.
• It can be heard throughout the week on ESPN radio's "Sports Bash". For every day of the 2004-2005 NHL Lockout, they played the tune for 30 seconds.
• According to Erik Kuselias of Sports Bash, the song is bad luck for the Carolina Hurricanes. He played it before Games 5 and 6 of the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals and the Hurricanes lost to the Edmonton Oilers. Before Game 6 on his radio show The SportsBash, he announced that for him to play the song, the mayor of Edmonton, Stephen Mandel, would have to phone in and request it. Mayor Mandel did and the Edmonton Oilers won the game 4-0.
• The song is played at the beginning of periods played at home for the Whalers on the NHL Hockey series on the Sega Genesis.
• Craig Kilborn had Carmen Electra do an impromptu dance to Brass Bonanza during one of her appearances on The Late Late Show.
• During Hartford's St. Patrick's Day parade, a few local high school bands stopped outside of Mayor Mike's Restaurant and Bar and played Brass Bonanza.
• The song is played at the Colisée Pepsi after every goal of the Quebec Radio X (LNAH)
• In the live album from Montréal based folk band les cowboys fringants the song is used as a depression cure.
• A version of the song is used as the theme of Beer and Becker, a popular drinking game played at Bradley University.
• CHOI (Quebec Radio) plays the song each night in memory of Mike Liut and company.
• The song is used as an intro for a segment on the Team 1040, a Vancouver radio station, that features former NHLer (and Hartford Whaler) Ray Ferraro.
• On Whalers Appreciation Night (January 6, 2006 at a Hartford Wolf Pack game), the Bonanza was played over the PA system in excess of 5 times!
• The song is currently being used as an intro for the Calgary Flames post-game show "Overtime" on CFAC (The Fan 960), a Calgary sports radio station.