Remember back at the 2010-11 NHL All Star Game the NHL made the awful mistake of having shitrock band 3 Doors Down play during intermission? And remember how we wrote at length about how the NHL got this wrong?
Well, apparently they didn’t learn their lesson. It’s almost as if no one amongst the NHL decision-makers even reads this blog! There’s rumors afoot that Canadian disappointment Nickelback will help jumpstart the 2011-12 NHL season by playing in Winnipeg during “NHL FaceOff,” a season kick-off party just days before the actual season opens.
Much like we here at HockeyPunx took great exception to 3 Doors Down being able to sully the good name of hockey, Rob Williams and Bartley Kives at the Winnipeg Free Press aren’t too happy about Nickelback potentially doing the same.
So much so that they wrote an open letter to Gary Bettman and the NHL asking them to stop this madness. And how could we not agree? If 3 Doors Down was an affront to our sensibilities, then Nickelback certainly doesn’t offer any redemption for the NHL’s poor decision making.
From the column:
“Please, Person In Charge Of Booking This Event, do not bring Nickelback to Winnipeg that weekend. They can play the arena to their own fans — of which there are many — any time. But a free public performance? That would be tantamount to spitting on Bobby Hull’s toupee, burning Dale Hawerchuk’s jersey, leaving something wet on Thomas Steen’s city council seat or tripping Teemu Selanne on the ice during his final season in the NHL.”
And who do they suggest as possible replacements for Nickelback (aside from “Anyone but Nickelback or Bands That Sound Like Nickelback”)? Among others, they offer two altervative, equally Canadian bands that most HockeyPunx readers can get behind: Nomeansno or D.O.A.!
See, NHL? People are catching on. But those there at the league aren’t, no matter how much we spell it out. Punk Rock is the Soundtrack to Hockey. The Only Soundtrack.
Your average Nickelback fan.
Why not take this a step further, and instead of just allowing any Canadian punk band to play, pick punk bands that specifically come from the greater Winnipeg area? Who comes to mind? Obviously, Propagandhi, Comeback Kid, or The Weakerthans. Though, admittedly, The Weakerthans might be a little hard to land.
Like Williams and Kives do, we here at HockeyPunx will acknowledge that Nickelback sells. They’ve managed to convince a whole lot of idiots to buy their records. But think about the demographic Nickelback attracts. Does this really exemplify the type of person who gives two shits about hockey? The “dour, depressing” (as Williams and Kives aptly put it) stylings of this band will only serve to dampen the energy and intensity of the game, and of the game’s fans.
So to the NHL, we leave you with the same advice you have seemingly chosen to ignore after the 3 Doors Down debacle - “next time (and every time); punk rock.”
