Personalized goal songs would be smash hit with Golden Knights
The hockey community was buzzing last week thanks to a promotion by the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League.
The top minor league affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes is allowing players to choose their own goal song for when they score at home.
“I think it’s unreal,” Golden Knights forward Ryan Reaves said. “I’ve made that suggestion many times.”
It’s not the first time players have doubled as DJs. The Vancouver Canucks also had a similar policy as recently as last season.
The musical possibilities are endless, from Top 40 club beats to cheesy love songs to German industrial metal.
Anything but Gary Glitter’s “Rock and Roll Part 2,” right?
So, what would the Knights’ players pick for their song?
Here is what a few of them had to say:
Reaves: “Oh, man. Off the top of my head, it would probably be a J. Cole song. Like, ‘Can’t Get Enough.’ It was either my favorite artist or something just ridiculous. “Mambo No. 5” or something.”
Nate Schmidt: “I did ‘Sweet Emotion’ when I was in high school baseball, and that was super cool. It was sweet. You walked up, you felt a little juice going, a little flow. I think it’s great. Maybe something like a Buster Poindexter “Hot Hot Hot.” I love that song. I’m feeling hot, hot, hot.”
Reilly Smith: “Off the top of my head, I don’t have anything. I think I would do something just to pump up the fans a little bit.”
Paul Stastny: “I think like around December I’d have a Christmas song and then, you know what? I just like the 80s. I like the 60s, too, so there’s all different things. I’d kind of play with it, maybe like what month it is and what’s going on in the world. I wouldn’t go anything new. I’d always throw it back, kind of like old-school hip-hop or rock or 80s rock.”
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare (as teammate Jonathan Marchessault walked past): “It wouldn’t be the same as Marchy for sure, because his music is trash.”
Get it back
Entering Tuesday’s schedule, the Knights are second in the league with 368 takeaways, behind only Carolina (375).
The Knights are one of four teams taking the puck from its opponents more often than they give it away, joining the Hurricanes, Minnesota and St. Louis.
The Knights’ plus-22 differential in takeaways vs. giveaways (368-346) is second in the league behind St. Louis, which is at plus-41 (249-208).
Patches’ health
The Knights were off Tuesday and did not provide an update on the status of left wing Max Pacioretty.
Pacioretty exited Monday’s loss midway through the second period. Video replays showed Pacioretty banged skates in a collision with Columbus’ Oliver Bjorkstrand, and Pacioretty’s left leg was in an awkward position at the end of the play.
Pacioretty missed four games in late October and early November with a suspected concussion, though the team never confirmed that injury. He also missed the Dec. 4 game against Washington after he “tweaked something” and was held out of Friday’s game at New Jersey for precautionary reasons with an undisclosed minor injury.
Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.