Hockey is a rock and roll kind of game. From Stompin' Tom Connors to the Tragically Hip to Warren Zevon, here are the best hockey songs, capturing the spirit of a spin on the ice, a night at the rink or a game and a beer.
1. Fifty Mission Cap - The Tragically Hip
"Bill Barilko disappeared that summer/He was on a fishing trip/The last goal he ever scored won the Leafs the Cup." Great song by a first-rate rock and roll band. From their album "Fully, Completely."
2. Hockey - Jane Siberry
"The sun is fading on the frozen river/The wind is dying down/Someone else just got called for dinner... Sunday afternoon." Siberry's wistful portrait of kid's hockey, which appears on her "Bound By The Beauty" album, is a minor masterpiece. There's also a terrific version on her live album, "Child: Music For The Christmas Season."
3. The Hockey Song - Stompin' Tom Connors
"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." Any questions? Stompin' Tom's minimalist tribute is a toe-tapping classic.4. Hockey Night In Canada - The Shuffle Demons
The Demons kick off their album "Bop Rap" with this guerilla jazz take on the stately television theme song. Includes an appropriately frantic play-by-play break.5. Gordie And My Old Man - Grievous Angels
"Gordie and my old man on a Saturday night/Watchin' the Blackhawks and gettin' tight." This working class stomper closes the Angels independently released debut album, "One Job Town."6. The Ballad of Wendel Clark, Parts I and II - Rheostatics
"Well I heard Wendel talking to Dave Hodge last night/And he said that he was confident and keen./And he said that Jacques Plante didn't die so all of us could glide/He said that hard work is the ethic of the free." Guaranteed to bring a tear to the eye of any true Leafs' fan. The album is called "Greatest Hits."7. The Lonely End of the Rink - The Tragically Hip
I hear your voice ‘cross a frozen lake/a voice from the end of a leaf/saying, ‘you won’t die of a thousand fakes/or be beaten by the sweetest of dekes’Another classic from a classic Canadian band.
8. Hit Somebody! (The Hockey Song) - Warren Zevon
"He never lost a fight on his icy patrol/But deep inside Buddy only dreamed of a goal/He just wanted one damn goal." Co-written by sportswriter Mitch Albom, with a guest appearance by David Letterman. The album is "My Ride's Here."9. The Zamboni Song - Gear Daddies
"Now ever since I was young it's been my dream/That I might drive a Zamboni machine/I'd get the ice just as slick as could be/And all the kids would look up to me." This arena standard is a favorite with kids. A hidden track at the end of the album, "Billy's Live Bait."10. Puck Rock, Volume 2
Hard to pick a favorite from this collection of bangers and grinders. "Blood On The Ice," perhaps. Or maybe "You High Sticked My Heart."