Canucks Intro Song – If It Ain’t Broke...

Written by: Head to the Net
There’s been a lot of talk about the Vancouver Canucks introduction song this summer, sparked in large part by the Canucks’ PR staff who are trying to determine whether the team needs a change. While changing the theme song would be fitting for a team that introduces a new team logo every 10 years, in this case, they may be better of leaving it alone.

One small wrinkle I’d suggest to the “keep it or change it” debate, would be to keep the U2 introduction only for playoff games. Towel power, U2, and the playoffs – this should be a combination that Vancouver enjoys only in April and beyond.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs Intro:

Picture this scene: the Canucks are opening the playoffs at home, the entire city of Vancouver is bubbling with anticipation of the game. Families are settled around their TV’s at home, and at Rogers Arena, everyone is at their seats well before game time. They should be excited too, for the city has been waiting for these playoffs to begin since their team was so inauspiciously dismissed by the Chicago Blackhawks one year earlier.

A spotlight of the Canucks logo is beamed onto centre ice, and a very faint sound is heard over the sound system. Ever so quietly the song begins, and you wonder what it is that you’re hearing.

Quickly, you recognize the introduction to “Where the Streets Have No Name.” The start of the song fading in from nothing injects an electric feeling into the air and has your heart pounding within your chest.

The song grows louder and the drums start, a spotlight shines on the Canucks bench and the players fly onto the ice.

The sight of over 18,000 fans waving their white towels and yelling at the tops of their lungs as the players jump onto the ice invokes a visceral feeling within. During that moment, when your skin feels cold and your hairs stand on end, you truly feel that “We Are All Canucks,” and you feel united through the unique bond that you share.

Two years ago, asked about stepping onto the ice during the playoffs at the arena formerly known as G.M. Place, Ryan Kesler said, “There’s nowhere I’d rather be.”

In that moment, wherever any Canucks fan is watching from, the U2 song unites them all. There’s no place they’d rather be either.