Classic rock, country, disco, house, rap, and more: the Winnipeg Jets’ 2023-24 goal songs run the gamut of genres.
The goal songs were unveiled on Oct. 14 during the player introduction ceremony at the Jets’ home opener versus the Florida Panthers, with each player coming out of tunnel and to centre ice with their song playing. When a player scores a goal at Canada Life Centre this season, their song will play immediately after a few bars of the team goal song, Gonna Celebrate.
A few tracks are the same as last season, when the Jets first introduced individual goal songs, but the vast majority are new. But which ones are the best? Here, we’ll rank all 23 songs by tier.
This is just one author’s opinions, so feel free to disagree and create your own tiers. The first song in each tier is the author’s least favourite of that tier. The last song in each tier is the top of that tier.
F Tier:
None. We won’t shame anyone that hard for their choice.
D Tier:
- Logan Stanley: White Horse, Chris Stapleton: This 2023 blues-country rock tune is just too generic to be interesting.
- Connor Hellebuyck: Gangnam Style, PSY: No one needs to hear this Korean viral-mega hit (or see anyone do the dance) ever again.
- Laurent Brossoit: Rasputin, Boney M: Like Gagnam Style, no one needs to hear this Euro-disco tune ever again.
- Mason Appleton: Keg in the Closet, Kenny Chesney: A fairly bland mid-aughts bro-country selection.
- Cole Perfetti: Party Till We Die, MAKJ & Timmy Trumpet: This house tune is better suited for warm ups or between whistles. Harmless, but boring.
C Tier:
- Nate Schmidt: Party Rock Anthem, LMFAO: LMFAO was big for a couple years in the late aughts/early 2010s before falling off the map forever. This song has been played to death and isn’t nearly as good as Schmidt’s choice from last year, Mambo No. 5 by Lou Vega, which perfectly suited his gregarious and outgoing personality.
- Declan Chisholm: It’s Tricky, Run-DMC: A fun and recognizable song, but overplayed. There’s way better songs on the Run-DMCs influential hip-hop discography.
- Nikolaj Ehlers: House on Fire, Jonah Blacksmith: This song by a Danish indie band is pleasant — and Ehlers gets points for choosing something from a relatively non-famous group that hails from his home — but it’s too low-key to get out of the C Tier.
- Josh Morrissey: Magic in the Air, Chawki: The song has great energy, but is more suitable for a soccer match than a hockey game.
B Tier:
- Alex Iafallo: Nothing But a Good Time, Poison: An old standby glam-rock crowd-pleaser. Scoring a goal is, indeed, a nothing but a good time.
- Dylan DeMelo:This is How We Do It, Montell Jordan: This is a funny choice because DeMelo, a defensive defenceman, doesn’t “do it” (that is, score a goal) too often.
- Vladislav Namestnikov: This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race, Fall Out Boy: A an intense arena anthem that has sing-along potential.
- Dylan Samberg: Let’s Go Crazy, Prince: From the famous Purple Rain album, this is a good song to get the crowd, well, going going crazy.
- Rasmus Kupari: Flamethrower, J. Geils Band: This early-80s tune is campy, catchy, and fun.
- Neal Pionk, Renegade, Styx: A hard-driving and powerful rock song about an outlaw on the run — perfect for a player who plays on the edge.
- Adam Lowry: Lil Boo Thang, Paul Russell: The Jets’ new captain chose a brand-new song that’s funky, has a great bass line, and should put just about anyone in a good mood.
A Tier:
- Nino Niederreiter: Disco Inferno, Syzz & Nora Van Elken: Niederreiter gets points for choosing a cool, fresh, and modern remix of a classic.
- David Gustafsson: Levels, Avicii: Recognizable and iconic from an artist gone way too soon.
- Mark Scheifele: Ain’t no Mountain High Enough, Marvin Gate & Tammy Terrell: This late-60s pop/soul tune is a big change from“The Greatest Showman” — which Scheifele used in his 42-goal 2022-23 season — and seems like it wouldn’t work at all, but in-game, it works very well, as the home opener proved.
- Gabriel Vilardi: Macarena (Bayside Boys Remix), Los Del Rio: Vilardi choosing such a silly song is honestly pretty wholesome. The 1995 Bayside Boys remix has added electro-pop elements and English-language section sung by female vocalists.
- Brenden Dillon: Bennie and the Jets, Elton John: How could a song with the word “Jets” (Bennie and the Jets, in the song, are a fictional sci-fi punk band) and one that inspired the Jets 1.0 mascot Benny NOT get into the A Tier?
- Morgan Barron: Home For a Rest, Spirit of the West: A raucous, belligerent tune by a long-time and influential Canadian folk rock group that fits Barron’s play style perfectly. It’s well-known to be played at Manitoba socials, too, near the end of the night just before the bar closes down.
S (Super) Tier:
Give me a hell, give me a yeah. Stand up right now… for the only song deserving of the S Tier ranking.
Kyle Connor’s selection, Hell Yeah by Rev Theory, is an all-time banger and there can be no debate on this. It’s a homage to the Jets’ former goal song — the best one by a long shot — and it’s amazing to hear it again after the sniper lights the lamp.
Do you agree or disagree with the author’s rankings? Which goal songs are your favourite? Comment below!
