In case you haven’t noticed, the Vancouver Canucks have a new goal song.
With the sweeping changes made to the Canucks’ management and coaching staff, it feels like a new era and it seems fitting that a new era would come with a new goal song. But it happened almost by accident.
The goal song was introduced as part of their 80’s night when they played the Winnipeg Jets. The Canucks in-arena entertainment crew wanted an 80’s hit to play when the Canucks scored and landed on Simple Minds’ 1985 classic “Don’t You (Forget About Me),” written and recorded for the Breakfast Club soundtrack.
The edit of the song that plays after Canucks goals starts with Simple Minds’ lead singer Jim Kerr shouting, “Hey, hey, hey, hey!” and singing a soaring “Ooooooh-whoa!” then transitions to the outro, where Kerr sings a catchy “La la la la” melody.
The song was a hit with Canucks fans at 80’s night — it helped that the Canucks scored three goals and another in the shootout to give them plenty of chances to play it. It was enough of a hit, in fact, that they gave it another shot in their next game against the Carolina Hurricanes, where it again got positive feedback.
Now it looks like it’ll be sticking around long-term.
It’s an utterly unique goal song — no other team in the NHL has used it, which gives it a leg up on Van Halen’s “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love,” which had been previously used by the Philadelphia Flyers. Besides, the title of that song has far too many apostrophes.
It’s easy to see how a quirky goal song choice like “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” could become endearing, much like the Toronto Maple Leafs with “You Make My Dreams” by Hall & Oates. Even better, it could become annoying to opposing players and fans, which is the ideal of any goal song.
The biggest reason they have to keep the new goal song, however, is that J.T. Miller sings along to it when the Canucks score.
That was revealed, along with just how many times Miller swears, in his mic’d up video against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
It’s also revealed that Miller calls Jason Dickinson, “Dick,” which is just great. In addition, he spends time in warm-ups critiquing Elias Pettersson’s one-timer, which Pettersson barely seems to notice.
But the best part, in my books, is when Miller really gets into the Canucks’ new goal song for the last two goals of the game.
He shouts along with Jim Kerr first from the bench after Vasily Podkolzin tied the game, then does it again on the ice while celebrating Bo Horvat’s game-winner.
If J.T. Miller likes the goal song enough to sing along with it on the ice in the midst of a euphoric moment, how could you possibly change the song? Do you want to make J.T. Miller mad? I sure don’t.
So, it’s settled. “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” is the Canucks’ new goal song. May Miller and Canucks fans have many more occasions to sing along with it in the coming months.
