(image from "The Blowhole"-- hartfordwhalers.org)
If you thought (like I did) that Brass Bonanza was only good for driving Wolf Pack fans crazy and making old Whalers fans pee their pants, well, Wiki's got some news for you:
Brass Bonanza, also known as the "Hartford Whalers Victory March" was adopted by the Hartford Whalers as their theme song during their tenure in the World Hockey Association, and remained so through their years in the National Hockey League.
Gordie Howe once said that he loved to hear it as a visiting player for the Houston Aeros, but hearing it every night with the Whalers "began to drive me nuts."
Brass Bonanza was played in its entirety minutes before game time of the Carolina Hurricanes' second round playoff opener at home against the New Jersey Devils on May 6, 2006, as the video board showed fans in Whalers jerseys who came to the game. The Hurricanes won that game 6-0.
The song is currently played by the nationally-renowned University of Connecticut Pep Band and Marching Band. They can be heard at all men's and women's basketball games, football games, and select men's ice hockey games.
The Bonanza continues to be occasionally played at the Whalers' former home arena, the Hartford Civic Center, and is sometimes played during Boston Red Sox games at Fenway Park between innings or after run scoring plays.
The song was played after each goal scored by the Williams College men's hockey team during the 2005-2006 season, and the fans would dance The Watusi.
In addition, it is also currently played by the Sacred Heart University Pep Band at select men's ice hockey, men's basketball, and women's basketball games and by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's America's Pep Band. It was arranged for that group by James Cronen and can be heard at select men's ice hockey games.
The song is often played at Northeastern University men's hockey games, at the request of Dog House member and longtime Whaler fan Jim Sargent.
The song was heard over the speakers multiple times at the William H. Detrick Gymnasium during the men's basketball NEC Tournament Quarterfinal game on March 3, 2006 featuring Sacred Heart University at Central Connecticut State University.
The song can be heard at the Pengrowth Saddledome in Calgary after every Calgary Flames victory, and at the Arrowhead Pond for 30 seconds after every Anaheim Ducks victory.
It can be heard throughout the week on ESPN radio's Sports Bash. For every day of the 2004-2005 NHL Lockout, they played the tune for 30 seconds. According to Erik Kuselias of Sports Bash, the song is bad luck for the Carolina Hurricanes. He played it before Games 5 and 6 of the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals and the Hurricanes lost to the Edmonton Oilers. Before Game 6, he announced that for him to play the song, the mayor of Edmonton, Stephen Mandel, would have to phone in and request it. Mayor Mandel did, and the Edmonton Oilers won the game 4-0.
The song is played at the beginning of periods played at home for the Whalers on the NHL Hockey series on the Sega Genesis.
Craig Kilborn had Carmen Electra do an impromptu dance to Brass Bonanza during one of her appearances on The Late Late Show.
During Hartford's St. Patrick's Day parade, a few local high school bands stopped outside of Mayor Mike's Restaurant and Bar (above) and played Brass Bonanza.
The song is played at the Colisée Pepsi after every goal of the Quebec Radio X (LNAH).
In the live album from Montréal based folk band Les Cowboys Fringants, the song is used as a depression cure.
CHOI (Quebec Radio) plays the song each night in memory of Mike Liut and company.
The song is used as an intro for a segment on the Team 1040, a Vancouver radio station, that features former NHLer (and Hartford Whaler) Ray Ferraro.
On Whalers Appreciation Night (January 6, 2006 at a Hartford Wolf Pack game), the Bonanza was played over the PA system in excess of 5 times.
There you go-- almost a million and one ways to make you puke.
No comments:
Post a Comment