Hockey Night theme power play: CBC contest closes with thousands of submissions by Kevin Prokosh
Source : Ottawa Citizen
September 1, 2008
Winnipeg Free Press
While National Hockey League players enjoy their off-season, passionate puckheads and cash-strapped composers from coast to coast spent the summer firing musical shots at the CBC.
They had one goal in mind - to win the Hockey Night in Canada Anthem Challenge, the national search for a new theme song to replace Dolores Claman's iconic dunt-da dunt-da dunt fanfare.
Symphony composers, hall of fame pop stars such as Randy Bachman, professional jingle writers, garage band wannabes, cyber-pranksters and teenage piano students ran up the score to almost 9,000 submissions, not counting the last-minute rush expected before Sunday's midnight deadline.
"There isn't a breathing Canuck out there who isn't writing a tune for Hockey Night in Canada," says Winnipeg composer/goaltender Danny Schur. "It's really a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. There's a lot of glory to be had."
Last spring CBC had its HNIC theme - Canada's unofficial second national anthem - poached by rival network CTV after a licensing spat with Claman. In what was seen as a face-saving move, the Mother Corp. launched an open-call for Canadians to come up with a new signature jingle. The winner, to be revealed on HNIC Oct. 11, nets a cool $100,000 plus performance royalties and all-important national bragging rights.
"We thought we could get 1,000 responses," says Scott Moore, executive director of CBC Sports. "We could hit 10,000. It's been overwhelming. It speaks to Canada's passion for hockey and music."
Could Grapes get used to being serenaded by Just Another Puck in the Face?
How about Blue Line Blast, Hockey Go Go, Spinnerama or Crease Grease Boogie? All of those have been submitted, along with Rink and Roll, It's Go Time, The Wraparound and Singing Outside the Penalty Box.
For most contributors, the lure is hockey and money, two things that attract attention in this country. Others in the music industry considered it plain good business to take a shot.
While many of the participants are happy to take their long shot at hockey heaven, not everyone is all warm and fuzzy about having to search for a successor to Claman's theme, which has been synonymous with CBC's HNIC for 40 years. Composer Kevin Aichele sees the competition as a desperate attempt at damage control following a marketing disaster.
"It's just CBC trying to get us all to rally together to cover up the fact that they lost this incredible anthem and they blew it," says Aichele. "They want to turn this into a big love-in for hockey and to rally to replace what they've lost. It's ridiculous they let that song get away in the first place."
As the deadline approached Sunday night, many musicians were frantically tapping out one more track on their laptops. Schur had to give up after two themes and suspects a dark horse will win it all.
"There is another Dolores Claman out there, an anonymous professional who works in the industry," he says. "I don't think it will be a name."
© Ottawa Citizen
While National Hockey League players enjoy their off-season, passionate puckheads and cash-strapped composers from coast to coast spent the summer firing musical shots at the CBC.
They had one goal in mind - to win the Hockey Night in Canada Anthem Challenge, the national search for a new theme song to replace Dolores Claman's iconic dunt-da dunt-da dunt fanfare.
Symphony composers, hall of fame pop stars such as Randy Bachman, professional jingle writers, garage band wannabes, cyber-pranksters and teenage piano students ran up the score to almost 9,000 submissions, not counting the last-minute rush expected before Sunday's midnight deadline.
"There isn't a breathing Canuck out there who isn't writing a tune for Hockey Night in Canada," says Winnipeg composer/goaltender Danny Schur. "It's really a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. There's a lot of glory to be had."
Last spring CBC had its HNIC theme - Canada's unofficial second national anthem - poached by rival network CTV after a licensing spat with Claman. In what was seen as a face-saving move, the Mother Corp. launched an open-call for Canadians to come up with a new signature jingle. The winner, to be revealed on HNIC Oct. 11, nets a cool $100,000 plus performance royalties and all-important national bragging rights.
"We thought we could get 1,000 responses," says Scott Moore, executive director of CBC Sports. "We could hit 10,000. It's been overwhelming. It speaks to Canada's passion for hockey and music."
Could Grapes get used to being serenaded by Just Another Puck in the Face?
How about Blue Line Blast, Hockey Go Go, Spinnerama or Crease Grease Boogie? All of those have been submitted, along with Rink and Roll, It's Go Time, The Wraparound and Singing Outside the Penalty Box.
For most contributors, the lure is hockey and money, two things that attract attention in this country. Others in the music industry considered it plain good business to take a shot.
While many of the participants are happy to take their long shot at hockey heaven, not everyone is all warm and fuzzy about having to search for a successor to Claman's theme, which has been synonymous with CBC's HNIC for 40 years. Composer Kevin Aichele sees the competition as a desperate attempt at damage control following a marketing disaster.
"It's just CBC trying to get us all to rally together to cover up the fact that they lost this incredible anthem and they blew it," says Aichele. "They want to turn this into a big love-in for hockey and to rally to replace what they've lost. It's ridiculous they let that song get away in the first place."
As the deadline approached Sunday night, many musicians were frantically tapping out one more track on their laptops. Schur had to give up after two themes and suspects a dark horse will win it all.
"There is another Dolores Claman out there, an anonymous professional who works in the industry," he says. "I don't think it will be a name."
© Ottawa Citizen
