“I remember when we opened for Page and Plant, we did two legs of America as their opening act,” Downie recalled, “and we had this ferocious three-on-three game on Rollerblades in the parking lot of the Spectrum right before we went on. Sometimes it was just ball hockey in an arena parking lot, but oftentimes it would entail finding ice and equipment to play a real game with the crew. In the early or middle years of the band's existence, in the 1990s and early 2000s, the boys in the Hip would go to great lengths while touring to organize hockey games. They all like hockey they like watching it they like playing it- or at least, to varying degrees, they did. Drummer Johnny Fay always liked the Philadelphia Flyers. Bass player Gord Sinclair describes himself as a “floater,” a Chicago Blackhawk fan in his youth but now quite content to cheer for any team that is contending for the Cup. Guitar players Paul Langlois and Robbie Baker are fervent fans of the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs, respectively. “Gord Downie, the front man and lead singer, as has been duly noted, is a diehard Bruin fan, but even before discovering the Bs, he was a goalie in Amherstview, Ontario. Here's a little taste of what you can find there: You can read a bunch of those excerpts on TSN.ca. In Bob McKenzie's book, Hockey Confidential, he got a chance to talk to Downie about his love for Hockey and all things Canadian. Lucky for us, footage of Downie switching the lyrics for Derek Roy during that memorable Buffalo concert exists on YouTube.Īnother song, “The Lonely End of the Rink” is about a hockey game through the eyes of a goalie. The Sabres' rollicking entrance theme during those days was the Rolling Stones' 'Street Fighting Man.' The Hip tore into a raucous cover for their penultimate song, and the Buffalo crowd ate up the anthem.Īccording to SetList.fm, it was the only time the band ever played it. The Sabres center was flabbergasted and honored.ĭownie and The Hip took their tribute to Buffalo and the Sabres one step further during the encore. I covered practice the next morning and told Roy about the lyric swap. The original lyrics, 'You held my hand and we walked home the long way, you were loosening my grip on Bobby Orr,' suddenly and shockingly became, 'You held my hand and we walked home the long way, you were loosening my grip on Derek Roy.' Here's how it went down according to Buffalo News,ĭuring the song 'Fireworks,' which starts off by detailing a young man's transition from hockey to girls, Downie paid homage to the Sabres. This happened in 2007, when the Sabres were playing the Ottawa Senators in the East Final and Sabres fever was at an extreme high in the area. There was also the night Downie swapped Bobby Orr's name for Derek Roy's name in a concert in Erie, PA while performing the song “Fireworks”. You held my hand and we walked home the long way You said you didn't give a f*** about hockey We all squeezed the stick and we all pulled the trigger If there's a goal that everyone remembers Here are some of the opening lines from Fireworks: One of his most famous songs has a strong connection to his favourite team and ultimately his favourite player. While his career in the NHL was probably enough to make him a Hall of Famer, Sinden also coached Team Canada in the 1972 Summit Series. In honour of that love for hockey, we’re going to share some of this hardcore Boston Bruins fan’s notable hockey in music moments.ĭownie’s passion for hockey started at a young age, as his Godfather is Hall of Fame builder Harry Sindon – a long-time coach, GM and President of the Boston Bruins. Downie’s love for hockey has shone through his music and into his concerts. Over his career, Downie’s voice has become a staple to Canadian cottage country, backyard BBQ’s and a pure sign of a Canadian summer. Early last year, Canadians were struck with the news that beloved lead singer of The Tragically Hip, Gordon Downie, was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer.

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