This is a scene familiar to any NHL fan. Puck crosses the line. The crowd erupts as the round horn rings through the arena. Then hit the beats of the team’s goal song, which shows a full celebration and Pavlovian reaction from the audience.
In New York, fans sing “Vola” and “He, He, He” from the New York Rangers’ MSG music director Ray Castoldi.
In Tampa, Mona’s song follows the winning tunes of Steven Stamkos of “Guns” and Nikita Kucherov of Tampa Bay Lightning.
In Denver, Planet Funk’s “Chase the Sun” is an unconventional target song played by the Colorado Avalanche after many, many goals.
Here are the stories behind the songs of the other three teams in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
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“Slapshot,” New York Rangers
Ray Castoldi’s collection was the 1994 New York Rangers Stanley Cup Championship, winning his first cup since 1940.
Castoldy, who joined Madison Square Garden in 1991, said, “Everyone was confused. Let’s see if we can come up with a signature song for the Rangers that no one else has.”
The “slapshot” began in 1995 when the Rangers’ Stanley Cup went on the banner. The saxophone-powered tune was written by Ed Callehoff, who wrote the themes for “The Price Is Right” and “Double Dare.”
The song begins slowly before the drums and vocals are played. “You don’t want to fall into it right away. Everyone is jumping up and down and shouting. [goal] The horns give everyone a chance to get their bearings and then get to the area where they sing together, “said Castoldi.
Anyone who has seen the Rangers home game knows what’s next: the crowd “hu-oh-oh-oh” and the stackato “hey … hey … hey, hey!” Sing along. Castoldi said the song is an original recording but the arrangement has changed over time. “If you listen to a 1990s song, ‘Hey!’ It was before and after the ‘Round’ mantra. I think turning it around really helped to catch it, “he said.
Wait … “target” mantra? Isn’t this a “wow” mantra?
“It’s one of the mysteries. There’s a lot of discussion on social media – is it ‘target’ or ‘wow’?” He said.
Mystery solved: Castoldi said the original intention was to sing “Goal”, because that’s what the Rangers are scoring. But the recording “Wow!” Three or four people were doing vocal tracks on the song in the studio. He tried to sing “Gol” as a chorus, but “he didn’t sing so much,” Castoldi said.
It was easy to get a “huh-oh-oh” sound. ‘Goal-oh-oh’ was very stressful, ”he said.“ So the record is ‘wow’. But please everyone sing ‘Gol’. “
Castoldi admits the song did not initially captivate fans. “It took a few years to catch him. I went back and saw Mark Messier’s 500th goal. You hear the song, but the crowd doesn’t actually hear it being thrown. It took a while, ”he said.
But once they get it, they get it, and “slapshots” have been a part of MSG Goal Celebrations for decades.
Castoldi said, “It’s great. I tweak myself from time to time. It’s just a thrill to get what I wrote right and it’s coming back to me with a lot of passion.
“It’s really part of the Rangers fabric.”
“Chasing the Sun,” Colorado Avalanche
In 2001, Planet Funk released the song “Chase the Sun”. This was a minor blow to the Italian electronics group. A few years later, it became an unexpected sporting event – until one considered professional darts a sporting event.
The song was adopted by Sky Sports for darts coverage. The song is played in the arena during the competition to the delight of the singing fans. It is very prestigious, its three hour version is available on YouTube. Abroad, it is referred to as “The Darts Song”.
Avalanche began using darts remixes of “Chase the Sun” in 2017 and remained the only team in the NHL to use the track. The arena shouted “Oh! Ah! Oh!” Instead of “Hey! Hey! Hey!” One listens to darts.
“Hooligans,” Tampa Bay Lightning
Lightning’s targeted song is actually inspired by Frank Sinatra, though not for the reasons you’re thinking.
Nick Brown is the driving force behind the indie rock project created by Mona, a Nashville-based musician. While working on Mona’s second album, she found a quote from Sinatra that stuck with her.
He said, “I heard Frank Sinatra’s quote on rock and roll. He said it wasn’t made to last, and that the people who do it are “critinous goons,” he said. “And he was really close to where the music was going.”
The song “Gunds (Baby, I Need It All)” was released in 2013.
Brown said, “Muhammad Ali was just Muhammad Ali for so many days. That’s why the ages are so important, because they are really temporary.” “That was the concept: to be aware that things change. Age changes.”
But the song’s undeniably catchy hook was inspired by rock.
“It has always been a triumphant mantra. As a songwriter, it was about how important rock and roll is still. I like to see it as a literal victory song, ”he said. “Zap always brings people together. Killing the animals, we turned around as we danced around the fire.
Brown started using the song a year or two before winning the trophy in 2020. “By the way I remember someone stumbled upon it and it would be amazing to sing the goal,” Brown said.
“Fans came up to me and said, ‘I think I just heard you on ESPN.’ And I said, ‘Who’s stealing my song?’
Brown said his songwriting may have been based on how the track would run in front of a crowd, but he didn’t go out of his way to compose a round song.
He said, “I have played in festivals and big events all over the world. I think it’s very interesting and powerful to see this song being used in a different field and in a different context. ” “I remember when we got there, I saw a little boy holding his father’s hand and calling him a goon. I think it’s nice to see that. “
The “hooligan” was used in conjunction with Lightning’s historic success, including the back-to-back Stanley Cup. Brown can’t help but notice.
He smiled and said, “This has made me a fan. They didn’t have a record before I started using my songs. I give credit to the song. “” And since the hockey team and the fans are superstitious, they probably won’t change it anytime soon. “
