Hockey, Punk Rock, and why the Flyers should make Rise Above their goal song

In a recent episode of Marek vs. Wyshynski, the two hosts were asked what style of music is most like hockey. When I heard the question I thought "Punk rock" because this is the only legitimate answer in my opinion. Hockey is all about raw energy, it is disrespectful and often violent. In hockey ugly goals count as well as the nice ones, and in punk rock you can put some nice touches, but the loud, fast, and slightly-off songs just count as much.

Some punk rock bands very explicitly state their fondness of hockey. Whether it's the Misfits' Jerry Only singing how he wants to be a New York Ranger, or The Hextalls stating how they specifically don't want to be that. How the Dropkick Murphys sing songs specifically for and about the Boston Bruins, or The Boils do the same for the Philadelphia Flyers. D.O.A. playing some yuppies in a music video for a cover of "Takin' care of business"? All about that.

So this brings me to the one point where in an NHL game, music and hockey most overtly intersect: The Goal Song. Whenever a team scores a goal in its home arena, the PA system starts playing a specific song in celebration. Many teams even use songs specifically written for that purpose, and a lot of debate is given about merits of each team's goal song in comparison to each other.

For a long time, the Flyers used Bro Hymn Tribute by Pennywise, and as a fan of punk rock that just made me happy. It's not the most sophisticated song in the world, but is it ever fun to song the "whoaaaaaaa-whoaaaa-a-aaaaaa" parts after a goal is scored. The Legend, as told by Andrew Ference, is that Todd Fedoruk was the guy who popularized the song around the league. The Ducks still use the song today.

Unfortunately, the Flyers have chose to abandon the Bro Hymn and have been hopping around different songs ever since. Whether it's DOOP, lighting mups, or the abomination of a song they are currently using and are rightfully admonished for, nothing seems to stick.

However, there is one really good answer for what the quest for a new goal song for the Flyers, and you can find it once again in punk rock: Rise Above by Black Flag.

Not only is it an ingenious little pun ("Flyers" need to "rise above", get it?) but the lyrics in and off themselves are perfect for the team. A song about nonconformity, about "us vs. them" mentality, about overcoming adversity and about simply showing people up. It is the Flyers hockey mentality of the team and their fans all in one package.

The song is just too perfect for the team, and it's a shame that it isn't already in use.


It's also not like Philadelphia crowds are unfamiliar with the tune. As recently as last year the song has been used in commercials for Philadelphia Union games, and the song has also been covered by Philadelphia based hardcore punk band Kid Dynamite (though I'd prefer the original because I like it better).


Lastly I want to acknowledge the Punk Rock and Hockey podcast Up The Pucks. I really, really want you guys to go back and start recording new episodes again.

Someone explain to me why the Flyers get no respect

And we're back. It was offseason and I had some work committments, but I will attempt to get some more things up here over the course of the season. But enough about that.

The 2014-15 NHL season starts tonight. Sleepless nights, excitement, debates, anger, frustration, and joy all lie straight ahead. However, this also means that it is "preview time", with several larger news outlets and websites attempting to find the definitive answer which teams will make the playoffs, win divisions, and ultimately the Stanley Cup.

And it seems that a number of those outlets have pegged the Flyers to miss the playoffs, the Hockey News being one example. A couple of people such as Jeff Marek even see the Flyers as potentially crashing and burning and getting in on "Dishonor for Connor". And I can't quite get my head around why this is.

Now, I can see some scenarios in which this could be the case. Any team can completely and utterly fail. It isn't exactly some great achievement or requires a special talent to do so. And to be frank, the offseason was middling to slightly negative. Losing Kimmo Timonen obviously sucks ass, and Michael Del Zotto isn't exactly going to replace him. R.J. Umberger is closer to doing so for Scott Hartnell, but not quite.

However, there are also some positives to expect here. Some of the younger talent will be a year older and a bit more comfortable in their roles, hopefully Vincent Lecavalier will finally find his place (or be traded soon, which is still my recommended course of action), and at the very least the Flyers should not sleep through the first month of the season like they did last year.

Overall I would say nothing earth-shattering has really happened with the Flyers and they should be pretty much on par with how they were last year. That team put up 94 Points, after going 4-10-1 during the first 15 games no less and with pretty much the worst possible schedule to end the season. I don't think the Flyers are going to be Cup Contenders this year, but I see no definitive reason that they should miss the playoffs.

The only reasonable explanation I can come up is process of elimination. People think other teams in the Division and conference will be better and supersede the Flyers. The Islanders made waves by acquiring Leddy and Boychuck, people think the Devils won't be as awful in the shootout and Schneider will have a good year, and the Capitals impressed people by bolstering their blue line with Niskanen and Orpik. Plus people figure Columbus is a team still on the rise. But I don't think any of these teams are clearly better than the Flyers. On par with them perhaps, but that predicts a dog fight in which the Flyers have more experience and have at least proven that they can beat others out. History is filled with teams that had "showy" offseasons that amounted to little actual improvement.

So why aren't the Flyers getting any respect? I for my part have no idea.