I've always liked the theme too
Bill Rea

Let me be up-front about a couple of things here.

I like the Hockey Night in Canada theme, and I always have.

With my memory for trivia, I can assert (with the understanding that I stand to be corrected) that the theme ushered in the 1968-69 season for the Leafs. I first heard it at the start of their season opener that year.

No, I don't remember who the Leafs played that night, who won or what the final score was. I do remember my parents weren't home at the time, because it was Meet the Teacher Night at the institution in which I was incarcerated during the daytime hours, and I got yelled at when they arrived home. In subsequent years, I heard my parents talking about the teacher who prompted that tongue-lashing in less than complimentary terms, with my father using language I can't put into print.

But I digress.

I was taken with the tune the first time I heard it, and in the subsequent years, while I had the time and interest to follow the Leafs, and the other NHL clubs, the theme was a part of my life; a small part to be sure, but it was a piece of something that interested me.

There were idle moments when one might have caught me humming the tune to myself, as many of us are inclined to do with tunes we either like or are exposed to with some frequency. I'm sure many of you have done the same thing at some time. As a kid, I think my brother and I drove our parents up the proverbial wall chanting the theme to Batman over and over again (when we weren't humming Beatles' songs).

So yes, I will always like the theme music to Hockey Night in Canada, even if I don't have time to watch the games much any more. There is still the odd time I will try to catch some portion of a match, usually during my Saturday-night channel hopping, and I usually do make a point of at least trying to see the Stanley Cup being presented, and such was the case last Wednesday (great game, eh?)

And I would be sorry to see that theme music shelved, to be replaced with something else. But that would be something I could live with. It wouldn't be any worse than having your favourite TV show cancelled. Batman left the airwaves, but I'm still here and as lovable as ever (ask my wife). It wouldn't be any worse than having your favourite comic strip pulled from the funny pages. Calvin and Hobbes is only a memory now, but I'm still the swell guy I always was (don't ask my coworkers).

Change is an essential part of life, that we all have had to endure.

Accepting that as I do, I'm left to wonder about the way people have been dealing with the possibility of the theme being replaced.

It seems to have upset some people out there, drawing enough attention to prompt the bosses behind Hockey Night in Canada to scramble a bit, and try to explain some of the legalities and negotiation that had been going on. I spent bit of time last week noting all this stuff, then returning my attention to things that actually matter, such as my work.

But my attention was rapidly snapped back to hockey music Friday, when I saw a news release from the Liberal Caucus in Ottawa, stating that Grit Heritage Critic Denis Coderre was calling upon Heritage Minister Josee Verner to stand up for this musical tradition.

"The Hockey Night in Canada theme is a part of Canada's culture that goes beyond sport," Coderre is quoted in the release as saying. "This is a great opportunity for the Heritage Minister to finally get off the bench by defending an important Canadian tradition."

"This musical theme cannot be treated like any other song and certainly not reduced to a simple economic commodity," he added. "For generations of faithful viewers it is intimately linked to our national identity. If the Minister wants to show that she cares about Canadian heritage, this is her chance."

I was a little annoyed when I first read this, but typing these words has given me a couple of minutes to reflect.

In the first place, Coderre is an elected official from Quebec, and it's a safe bet that he has a lot of hockey fans as constituents. If enough of them feel strongly about something like this, he can't afford to ignore it. He at least has to make some noise, and demonstrate he's sort of on-side.

That he has done.

But I was hoping that was to be the extent of his involvement. Members of Parliament are well paid to address matters somewhat more important than the theme music on a TV show. Besides, is it really any of the federal government's business?

There was also talk of holding a national contest to find a new theme, assuming the current one was to be relegated to history.

I think the very thought frightened me, but that was clearly prejudging, wasn't it? For example, I can't see the Leafs' fortunes on the ice improving, although I think most fans would agree a new theme couldn't make things any worse. What scared me was the possibility that such a contest could produce something hideous.

If the current theme suvives, I'll be happy. If they were to decide to replace it, I could deal with that too.

And maybe the next theme they pick would be one people could adopt and hum too.

I wonder who holds the rights to the old Batman theme?

All they'd have to do is change the words a little.