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Canadians have mixed opinions on World Juniors goal song

Adam Laskaris
Adam Laskaris
|
Dec 27 2024, 3:25 pm
Canadians have mixed opinions on World Juniors goal song
Andre Ringuette/International Ice Hockey Federation

When Gavin McKenna scored Canada’s opening goal at the World Juniors last night, the 17-year-old forward helped kickstart a few holiday traditions.

Sure, the possible No. 1 pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft helped Canada get a 3-0 win over Finland at the 2025 edition of the annual U20 world showcase, but what happened after his goal might’ve generated nearly as much buzz.

Following McKenna’s first-period goal, the secret of its goal song was finally revealed: “Live Is Life” by Opus. Canada is expected to use the track as its goal song for the entirety of the 2025 edition of the tournament, which started yesterday in Ottawa.

If you’re not familiar with the track by name, you’d still likely recognize its iconic “na-na-na-na-na” chorus. The song had previously been used by the Canadian team at this year’s men’s World Championship, while several players on the roster also used the song at the U18 World Championships this year that featured several players from the World Juniors roster.

But while the song might have some special meaning to Hockey Canada, the rest of Canada is a bit more divided on it.

Social media had plenty of reactions to the song, but not all positive.

Many fans were quick to point out they felt it was a departure from other recent crowd-pleasers that the country had employed in the past, including a pair of songs from the last two years from Atlantic Canada.

Here’s what Canada has used at recent World Juniors tournaments, mixing in a whole mix of genres:

  • 2017: “We Dem Boyz” – Wiz Khalifa
  • 2018 and Winter 2022: “Hey Baby” – DJ Otzi
  • 2019: “Don’t Stop the Party” – Pitbull feat. TJR
  • 2021: “Loud” – Tim Hicks
  • 2022 (Summer): “Can’t Stop” – Red Hot Chili Peppers
  • 2023: “Heave Away” – The Fables
  • 2024: “Ordinary Day” – Great Big Sea

After winning gold medals in 2020, 2022, and 2023, Canada is looking to return to the podium this year following a disappointing 2024 tournament where they were shockingly eliminated by Czechia in the quarterfinals.

Canada returns to action Friday night when they take on Latvia in their second round-robin game. Puck drop is set for 7:30 pm ET/4:30 pm PT, where “Live is Life” is all but certain to at least hit the speakers a few times.

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