The Hockey Song
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- For the for the former theme song of Hockey Night in Canada see The Hockey Theme
The Hockey Song is a Canadian anthem, written and sung originally by Stompin' Tom Connors. It is now routinely played at hockey arenas where the crowds sing along.
The song first appeared on Connors' 1973 album, Stompin' Tom and the Hockey Song. However, the song did not reach its tremendous popularity until 1992. It was at this time, that the song was played at Ottawa Senators games. Pat Burns, then coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs wanted to have it played in Toronto. Fans took a liking to the song, and it spread throughout both Canadian and American NHL arenas. Today, it is a well known song, celebrating Canada's love for one of its national games, hockey.
The song is well known for its chorus,
- Oh! The good old hockey game,
- Is the best game you can name;
- And the best game you can name,
- Is the good old Hockey game!
The verses of the song are split up, so that each one describes a period of play in a typical hockey game. In the first verse, Connors sings "Someone roars, Bobby scores!" This was probably done because many popular players in the NHL at the time who were named Bobby, namely Bobby Orr, Bobby Clarke and Bobby Hull. In the last verse, Connors sings that it is the last game of the playoffs, and the "Stanley Cup is all filled up for the champs that win the drink". He later also sings "The puck is in, the home team wins!" which in concert, he may change "home team" to an actual team based on where he is playing.
The song has been covered by many bands, including Corb Lund Band and The Hanson Brothers. One such cover version was used as the theme song for the 1990s CTV series, Power Play, while another was used to open NHL broadcasts on CTV Sportsnet in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
In 2004, the American comedy-talk show Late Night with Conan O'Brien taped a week's worth of shows in Canada. During one of these telecasts, Connors, making one of the first American TV appearances of his entire career, was brought on to perform "The Hockey Song".
With the expiration of CBC Television's license of "The Hockey Theme" for Hockey Night in Canada, Connors has let it be known that he would be open to an appropriate licensing offer for his song as a replacement theme song. [1]
