Music And Hockey

Since I've had three blogs about hockey music this week, I decided to continue the trend of having music on this blog. Today, however, does not feature any sort of contest or voting on a winner. Instead, I would like to take a look at how hockey has made it into mainstream music. There is a disclaimer, though. I will not feature rap artists who wear an NHL jersey or merchandise without actually following the team. To me, that's nothing more than bandwagon riding, and Hockey Blog In Canada would prefer if these people were fans rather than just wearing the jersey as a fashion statement. Anyway, let's take a look at where some famous hockey players have been featured in the world of music.

Let's start with a Canadian band that featured the greatest hockey player in the world. Nickelback was formed in Hanna, Alberta in 1995. And, of course, Wayne Gretzky made a huge mark on the hockey world playing in Edmonton, Alberta. Chad Kroeger grew up a huge Oilers fan, and he recruited Wayne to appear in one of his music videos.

Love this tune, mainly because it's a tongue-in-cheek look at themselves.

Rockstar actually features several athletes, including Gretzky. Chuck Liddell of UFC fame makes a few appearances in the video, Grant Hill of the Phoenix Suns sings a line, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. of NASCAR fame also has a few lines.

Another Canadian musician features several hockey players in her video. Kathleen Edwards' song I Make The Dough, You Get The Glory actually uses Marty McSorley's name in the song and refers to "The Great One". Former NHL players McSorley, Paul Coffey, and Brad Dalgarno make an appearance in her laid-back pop-country video. Also, Dave Hodge from the NHL on TSN makes an appearance!

While the song isn't about hockey whatsoever, the hockey aspect gets worked in by the Ottawa-born singer.

"I've always wanted to make a hockey video - my whole life I thought it would be the funniest thing and I've never really had a warm reception to the idea," Edwards told the Canadian Press in May. "It's about to be summer and my record company was like, 'We need to make a summer video.' I don't want to make a summer video, I want to make a hockey video!"

You can read more about Miss Edwards' video and song from The Hockey News here.

In sticking with the Canadian musician theme, how can anyone forget the outfits that Shania Twain wore on a couple of occasions? Twain showed off her Montreal Canadiens colours once, sporting the famous #9 of Maurice "The Rocket" Richard on her leg! While I would hope that Shania's sequined outfit never sees the ice in La Belle Province, Shania also sported an Ottawa Senators gown. The Windsor, Ontario native also sported a Toronto Maple Leafs-sequined shirt to the Juno Awards, and has received her own Toronto Maple Leafs jersey.

Most people know the band Extreme for their ballad More Than Words, but they did have a couple of other tunes that put them on the Top 100 during the late 1980s and early 1990s. One of those songs was Hole Hearted which went to #4 on the Billboard Top 100 singles in 1991. In the video, they played the song on the street in front of a crowd. It is here where guitarist-vocalist Nuno Bettencourt shows his love for the Boston Bruins.

Not a jersey, but the Bruins logo is clearly evident. Mr. Bettencourt was born in Portugal, but he moved to Hudson, Massachusetts at age four with his family, which explains the allegiance to the Boston Bruins. Thanks to Anonymous, it was pointed out that former Bruins Cam Neely and Linden Byers appear in the video. You can catch Byers and Neely with his long hair at the 1:49 to 1:50 mark of the video. Good catch, Anonymous! I didn't even recognize them!

The Tragically Hip are closely entwined with hockey as they wrote Hockey Song, and they used to have their song Wheat Kings used by the WHL's Brandon Wheat Kings in their pre-game ceremonies. However, they featured a hockey personality in their video for The Darkest One. Just a warning... some of the language in this video is R-rated.

Don Cherry delivers chicken... priceless! The Trailer Park Boys - Ricky, Julian, and Bubbles at the start of the video - had lead singer Gord Downie in their movie, so Gord Downie featured them in the video of one of the songs used in their movie. Great trade, if you ask me.

There is a hockey-themed band out there as well. The Zambonis play all their shows in hockey jerseys. They wear hockey helmets. They write hockey-related songs. Great band too!

This song, entitled Concussion, features the band in a New Jersey Devils jersey, a Hartford Whalers jersey (awesome!), a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey on the keyboardist, a Fisherman Islanders jersey (YES! INCREDIBLE!), and you can see Mat's Whalers-themed drum kit. Awesome band, and their idea to be hockey-themed gets two huge thumbs-up from me.

So there are a few examples of how hockey is in the music world. Is there anyone I missed that should be included? Have I forgotten about specific musicians who routinely show off their love for the game of hockey? Add your take to the comments, and I'll make adjustments if I've overlooked someone!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!