The 2021 World Juniors have barely begun, and we’ve already heard Team Canada’s goal song, like a lot.
The goal song is supposed to hype up the team and the fans after each goal. This year is a little different with no fans able to bask in the glory of their team’s song echoing through the arena. Regardless, the goal song is still important, and the team puts a lot of thought into what their song says.
Each country in the tournament gets to pick the song they want to speak for their team.
To me, a good goal song is something that unites the crowd and ups the energy. Bonus points for sing-ability and whether it truly speaks to the identity of the team.
I’ve been appreciating goal songs for years now and I think it’s time we review all of team Canada’s songs from the 2012 WJC to this year’s tournament. Let’s see how they stack up.
10. 2017- We Dem Boyz by Wiz Khalifia
I’ll be honest, in 2017, this was my favourite goal song of all time. As they say, hindsight is 20/20 and I just don’t think this song stacks up against the others from the past decade. It’s not a very hype song. The lyrics, “We dem boyz” is fitting and I like hearing that after “the boys” score but the beat just doesn’t do it for me. They did win the silver medal that year though. For that, “We Dem Boyz” is number 10.
9. 2020- Jump by Kris Kross
This song is fun. It makes me nostalgic for early 2000s elementary school dances. In saying that, it doesn’t make me jump like it used to when I was six. It’s a good song but I just don’t think it carries the energy that comes with a goal celebration. It’s a fine song but definitely not close to the best one from this past decade. Still, it did the job as Canada took home the gold medal last year.
8. 2013- The Whip by Locksley
This song is a classic for any and all hockey games. The energy in this song is pretty good. All hockey fans know it and can’t resist the “woah-oh.” It can create a great vibe for the crowd. Despite this, it’s kind of overdone. It was overplayed during the preliminary round too as Canada scored the most goals of any team with 21. I don’t feel it speaks to identity of the Canadian team and is just a general song. Not a creative choice but still a good energy.
7. 2015- Feeling Good by the Sheepdogs
The lyrics of this song are perfect for a post-goal celly. This song gets bonus points for being by a Canadian band. Having a Canadian band as the soundtrack to a gold medal celebration in Canada is pretty great. The atmosphere from this song is pretty amazing and I definitely like it for that. It’s not a bad song or a bad choice for a goal song, it’s just not any better than other songs on this list.
6. 2012- Chelsea Dagger by The Fratellis
I love this song. It reminds me of the Chicago Blackhawks or the London Knights, as it’s also their goal song. The memories of it though are also its downfall. I think this song is kind of an overdone goal song. The teams who’ve used it for a while can keep it, but I think Canada could have picked something that fits the team better. They won quite a few lopsided games that year so the song was definitely heard. Maybe at the time it was fresh and new but now, it doesn’t stack up.
5. 2021- Loud by Tim Hicks
Since we had the privilege of hearing it 16 times against Germany, I think a judgement can be made on this song. It makes me sad because I feel like this song has wasted potential. I think it would be electric with fans. The song is hype and I love the reason it was chosen. When teasing the song, Dylan Cozens said, “It’s a goal song that fits well with where we are now in good ol’ Alberta.” A Canadian country artist’s song in Canada’s most- country province is perfect for this year’s team. I love how this song encourages people to get loud. Unfortunately, there are no fans to follow this instruction. I think I would love it that much more with fans.
4. 2016- Let Me Clear Me Throat by DJ Kool
I honestly don’t remember this song from the 2016 tournament. It mustn’t have been a standout but doing research for this article (listening to songs over and over) made me love this song. The energy is 10/10 and its super fun. It didn’t hype up the team as hoped as Canada finished sixth that year. It’s still a good song to get the crowd and the team buzzing.
3. 2019- Don’t Stop the Party by Pitbull
Mr. Worldwide coming in clutch once again with a party anthem. This song really just makes you want to jump around and get loud. That’s what a team needs from their fans after a goal. You want the song to fuel the fans and the players and no one does it like Pitbull. The general consensus of this song in 2019 was not positive especially after the song was played 14 times in a game against Denmark. CBS Sports even wrote about the song following the game saying, “The ‘Canadian nice’ stereotype is a lie.” I can appreciate the song as overkill, but I think it does the trick as a goal song. Unfortunately, the party did stop for Canada and quite early too. They lost in overtime in the quarterfinals against Finland.
“The ‘Canadian nice’ stereotype is a lie.”
CBS Sports (2019) after canada’s 14-0 win over denmark
2. 2014- Song 2 by Blur
This song is an absolute classic. You could make an argument for it as overdone. I acknowledge that and accept it but the “woo hoo” can get the crowd absolutely buzzing. There’s nothing better than hearing a packed stadium sing in unison and this song can do just that. The energy of the song by itself is great but what it does to the crowd and subsequently the team is uncompromised. Despite how great this song is, Canada lost in the bronze medal game to Russia in 2014. Its energy is what skyrockets it up this list.
Honorable Mention
This song isn’t a goal song, but I just need to give a shout out to the penalty song at last year’s tournament in the Czech Republic. Sure, it could get a bit annoying, but it was still funny. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, please have a listen.
1. 2018- Hey Baby by DJ Otzi
This song became more than just a goal song, it became a phenomenon. Even after they won the gold last year, the 2020 team sang this song in the dressing room. It wasn’t the goal song for that team. For that alone, the song deserves the top spot. It also helped the 2018 team bring home the gold that year. Everyone knows “Hey Baby” and can’t resist singing along. This song was talked about so much during that tournament and every song after it will be compared to it. TSN’s Mark Masters even asked Dylan Cozens if “Hey Baby” was in the mix for this year’s goal song. When Cozens’ said no, Masters followed up with “why not?” Everyone wants to hear it. The legacy of “Hey Baby” makes it the best goal song from the past 10 tournaments.
