What’s The Grind Line? Apart from the once-famous line of Kris Draper, Kirk Maltby, and either Joe Kocur or Darren McCarty, The Grind Line is also The Hockey Writers’ weekly column about the Detroit Red Wings. This week, Devin Little and Tony Wolak are the muckers who make up THW’s forechecking unit and sound off on Red Wings topics.
Goal songs are a special kind of art form. If you can find the right one, the team suddenly has a signature sound that becomes the ire of their opponents. However, picking the wrong one will lead to a drain on a moment that should be among the most exciting in a hockey game.
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The Red Wings do not currently have a goal song, but that could change starting with the 2020-21 season. If that is the case, what songs would our Red Wings writers like to hear whenever the boys in red score?
Tony Wolak
In my opinion, players should have individual goal songs, similar to personalized walk-up songs in baseball. Can you imagine Dylan Larkin scoring and Little Caesars Arena blaring Luke Bryan’s latest jam?
But for one song to represent the whole team, that takes some thinking. You have to consider Detroit’s rich history on the ice and in the studio. You also have to consider how the 2020-21 team will likely fare. And based on this season’s team, they may not be scoring that much.
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With this in mind, a few songs and artists popped into my head. There’s the whole Motown genre, Eminem, Kid Rock, Mike Posner, and Big Sean. Demi Lovato’s “Sorry, I’m Not Sorry” would be hilarious to play after the Red Wings score, but doesn’t have much of a connection. “Cinderella Man” by Eminem is good too. Same with “Detroit vs. Everybody,” which might be too vulgar for a family-friendly environment.
After careful consideration, I’m going to have some fun with this. When the Red Wings score, the horn will sound and the The Temptations’ “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” will follow as Detroit’s new goal song. It makes light of the rebuild in the immediate term and connects today’s team with Detroit’s past. Plus, if the 2020-21 Red Wings surprise with a better-than-expected season, the song’s irony will be a fun reminder that the team is trending in the right direction.
Devin Little
Like Tony, I’d like to see individual players get their own goal song. I miss the days of doing the Irish jig when Brendan Shanahan scored, and shouting “Hank!” during “Rock and Roll Part 2.” That being said, there’s something unifying about having a singular song capture a singular moment in a game. I love hearing “Don’t Stop Believing” at the end of a Red Wings victory, and I think Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” should be the permanent pre-game anthem.
When I think of goal songs, the first song that comes to mind is “Chelsea Dagger” and how it has become the sound of Chicago Blackhawks hockey. The crowd sings along and makes the United Center a force to be reckoned with. That’s an atmosphere that Little Caesar’s Arena has yet to recreate. With that in-mind, my choice for the Red Wings’ goal song is “Barbra Streisand” by Duck Sauce. It’s upbeat, kind of catchy, and very easy for a crowd of 18,000-plus to “sing” along to. Let’s make this happen!
Crowd Favorite
What do you think? Drop your picks for the Red Wings’ goal song down below in the comment section. Whatever the song ends up being, we hope to become very familiar with it starting next season!