March 27th, 2024
Alex Rickman
While the Canucks would ultimately fall short in heartbreaking fashion, the video of the team taking the ice against the Boston Bruins ahead of Game 7 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final has been on repeat for me with playoff hockey set to return to Rogers Arena for the first time in years. The music played in the arena for big moments may seem like a rather unimportant detail, and certainly isn’t something that will impact the on-ice product, the right musical choices can make all the difference for the fans taking the game in live.
While the Canucks current use of Simple Minds’ "Don’t You Forget About Me" as the team's goal song and the current mix of entrance songs, including ACDC’s "Back in Black" and "Memories" by David Guetta and Kid Cudi is fine, there was just something special about the combo the team used during the magical 2011 season. Is it time for the Canucks to bring back "Holiday" and "Where the Streets Have No Name," or are those best left in the past as the team enter a new era? Let’s take a look at some options.
Entrance Music
"Where the Streets Have No Name" is far from a conventional choice for a walk-out song. Far from a traditional jock jam, like a more commonly used "Welcome to the Jungle", "Seven Nation Army," or "Thunderstruck," the legendary U2 track is a much more reserved choice to the untrained ear for a team to take the ice to. However, anyone who has seen the way that Canucks Nation responds to this song would be able to tell you that Canucks fans don’t need an overly energetic jock jam to get loud, they just need some U2 and the anticipation of the coming game. With that being said though, the song is not without its critics.
Among the main criticisms of those who don’t wish to see the return of "Where the Streets Have No Name" is that of the song's opening lyric, “I want to run, I want to hide.” While the message sent by those lines may not be what you want to be saying ahead of an important game, there are a few important things to remember about this detail. Firstly, being honest, how many times has anyone paid attention to the lyrical content of a walk-out song? I can’t remember a single time I’ve ever been at a sporting event deeply considering the lyrics of the music the DJ is playing, and I really can’t see this being different for a great many people. Secondly, the version the Canucks played before games removed the vocal track from the song, as well as adding an air raid siren for added effect, which should remove any concerns fans may have over the song's lyrics.
"Where the Streets Have No Name" has been used by the Canucks since its removal as the team's main entrance song, often at special events such as home openers or jersey retirements. The organization clearly know that the fans hold this song in a special regard, so why not bring it back full-time, or at least for the entirety of the postseason? The Canucks have not had the privilege of playing a home playoff game in front of fans since 2015, so I think the organization must make sure the crowd is on their A-game cheering the players on in order to establish a home-ice advantage like the 2011 team had. If they want the crowd getting into it from before the puck is even dropped, make absolutely sure that "Where the Streets Have No Name" is what the players are taking the ice to.
As for its use in regular seasons, while I would like to see U2’s legendary song return, I can live with "Where the Streets Have No Name" being reserved for bigger games and would suspect that most Canucks fans would feel the same. The sound of the iconic track being reserved for only the biggest of occasions, potentially only playoff games, would give Canucks fans even more reason and motivation to get loud before important contests, helping create the environment needed to make the big games feel like big games, hopefully giving the team the home-ice advantage intended by any entrance music.
Goal Song
For years, I have been of the opinion that the Canucks need to bring back "Holiday." After years of bouncing from song to song after only a year or two, the Canucks have simply never been able to recapture the magic of the Green Day tune, which serenaded Canucks fans after some of the most iconic moments in franchise history. Surely nothing could ever change this opinion, right?
Enter Simple Minds’ iconic track "Don’t You Forget About Me." Like "Where the Streets Have No Name," this is far from a conventional choice for a goal song and has not been without its critics since its adoption during the 2021-22 season. However, in time, it’s really caught on Rogers Arena, with its strong sing-along value getting the crowd involved like no goal song since "Holiday." Is it time to let "Holiday" go and fully embrace "Don’t You Forget About Me" as the choice of the new era of Canucks hockey? Is "Holiday" still the best possible goal song for the Canucks? Or is there an outside candidate who could be better than both for the team?
This is a hard question to answer, but at this time, I think that the best choice for the Canucks would be to stick with "Don’t You Forget About Me." This may come as something of a surprise to some, especially with my having been a staunch advocate for the return of "Holiday" throughout the past few years, but "Don’t You Forget About Me" has won me over, and thematically seems to fit this current Canucks team better than any other song could. While attending the Canucks 3-2 loss to the LA Kings on March 25th, I heard Canucks fans sing as I have never heard Vancouver sports fans sing in my life, making me realize the effect that this song has on the crowd at Canucks games.
Additionally, the title of the song is a perfect sentiment for a Canucks team full of players who for years now have not been given the full credit they deserve by fans both in and out of Vancouver. The Canucks have been an afterthought for years now, with many quick to discredit the Canucks early success this year as being based on luck rather than real deserved or sustainable success. The goal song sends a clear message to the rest of the NHL: Don’t you forget about us.
"Holiday" will always hold a special place in my heart, as is also the case for other Canucks fans, but at this time, "Don’t You Forget About Me" feels like the more appropriate choice in Vancouver. If the Canucks could find a way to incorporate "Holiday" into the gameday experience at Rogers Arena, then I would be all for it, but for now, I think it’s time to let go of "Holiday" and the past of Canucks hockey and embrace the present and the future. As we look to the postseason, I hope to hear "Where the Streets Have No Name" pulsating through the Rog as the Canucks prepare to take the ice, but I also hope to hear Simple Minds when the Canucks find the back of the net.