Poetry Set To Music

The man to the left was known throughout the world because of one song. Stompin' Tom Connors passed on today at the age of 77, and the Saint John, New Brunswick-born country-folk singer will leave behind one of the most iconic hockey songs of all-time. The Hockey Song was an anthem for all hockey players, and it represented a time when hockey was only about two of six teams as the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens were the most famous teams of the time.

Connors wrote a lot of music of which most people may not be aware. He wrote and recorded The Consumer which became the opening theme to the CBC's Marketplace. He is the man who wrote and sang Bud the Spud, a song about a potato trucker from Prince Edward Island; Sudbury Saturday Night, a son about hard-drinking, hard-partying miners from Sudbury; and, of course, The Hockey Song. The man was truly proud of his Canadian heritage, and he was ranked as #13 - the highest musical artist - on CBC's The Greatest Canadian list.

Despite his constant feuds with the CRTC and the CBC, Connors was a hockey fan and accepted an invitation to sing at the NHL Awards. Below is a video of Stompin' Tom Connors performing his most famous song, and the lyrics are below that as HBIC plays tribute to a Canadian icon and one of hockey's best ambassadors.

Hello out there, we're on the air, it's "Hockey Night" tonight.

Tension grows, the whistle blows, and the puck goes down the ice.

The goalie jumps and the players bump and the fans all go insane.

Someone roars, "Bobby Scores!" at the good ol' hockey game.

OH! The good ol' Hockey game is the best game you can name!

And the best game you can name is the good ol' hockey game!

Second Period!

Where players dash with skates aflash, the home team trails behind.

But they grab the puck and go bursting up and they're down across the line.

They storm the crease like bumble bees, they travel like a burning flame.

We see them slide the puck inside, it's a 1-1 hockey game.

OH! The good ol' Hockey game is the best game you can name!

And the best game you can name is the good ol' hockey game!

Third Period. Last game of the playoffs too!

Oh take me where the hockey players face off down the rink.

And the Stanley Cup is all filled up for the champs who win the drink.

Now the final flick of a hockey stick and the one gigantic scream.

"The puck is in! The home team wins the good ol' hockey game!"

OH! The good ol' Hockey game is the best game you can name!

And the best game you can name is the good ol' hockey game!

OH! The good ol' Hockey game is the best game you can name!

And the best game you can name is the good ol' hockey game!

OH! The good ol' Hockey game is the best game you can name!

And the best game you can name is the good ol' hockey game!

He shoots and he scores!

Rest in peace, Stompin' Tom Connors. Your enthusiasm for the game will always live on in your iconic song. Like a slick skater on the ice, your words are poetry in motion!

Until next time, raise your sticks high in memory of Tom Connors!