*This archive was originally published by Ryan Shuvera and was most recently updated in March 2025
In the 1970s, Chicago Blackhawks owner Bill Wirtz loved the sound of the horn on his yacht and decided to install one in Chicago Stadium, where the Blackhawks played. The horn soon became expected during games each time the Blackhawks scored. Later, when the team moved out of Chicago Stadium and into the United Center, the horn followed—and by that time, other teams had begun celebrating goals with horns of their own, namely in Minnesota and Buffalo in the 1980s.
To create individualized fan support and a sense of team identity and belonging, professional hockey teams also started to cue up personal anthems that play after the horn blast, signaling a home-ice goal. The songs share a rousing, energizing vibe familiar to international soccer, where a packed stadium will suddenly burst out in one voice. At NHL hockey games, though, the goal song resonates each time the home team puts rips one into the back of the net.
You’ve got your train horns, fog horn, boat or ship-like horns, firetruck or a cacophony of cars in a traffic jam sounding horns, and your unique cannon-like or just actual cannon horns. We take a deep dive into the wails, groans, and shrieks of some of the most exciting sounds (if your team scores at home) and annoying (if the opposing team scores at home) in the NHL.
This list looks at the horn sound, the goal song, and any special features added to make the celebration unique. Of course, when a barn is full of fans, even those horns and songs lowest on the rankings can stir up emotion and excitement after a goal. There will inevitably be disagreements based on the “when you’re there, it’s better” case alone, but a limited budget did not allow me to take in games at all 32 arenas.
The Stanley Cup Champions went with a new look for their horn and song for this season, teaming up with EDM producer and DJ Öwnboss to create something just for the Cats. The song incorporates “Go Cats Go” and has a high-energy electric tune. Kudos for creating something for your fanbase, but the rest of the hockey community has lukewarm feelings about this presentation.
The Kraken went with a horn sound from a ferry and use is a remix of “Lithium” by Nirvana from their 1991 album Nevermind.
Another team that went with a local musician for their song and another presentation that was good, not great. Not a big fan of the insertion of “Let’s Go Kraken” into the song as it feels forced.
Much like their home-state friends in Anaheim, the Sharks use one of the deepest fog horns in the league. It bellows out like a great white shark groaning after a tough day at the office. It’s a couple of long blasts that reach out across the ocean. The Sharks also use “Get Ready for This” by 2 Unlimited, one of the most cliched and overused sports anthems, which is why they are so far down on the list despite having a great horn.
The Avalanche do a lot of good things in their organization but the goal horn and song are not one of them. It’s one of many fog horns on the list but lacks a unique or Colorado-based touch. “Chase the Sun” by Planet Funk is a great dance song, but it feels too distinct from the feel of the horn to work as a good goal song.
The Flyers use two shorter horn blasts and one longer one before the song “Ain’t Talking About Love” by Van Halen plays with the endless “Hey, Hey, Hey” chants running through it. I’ve been a long-time fan of Van Halen, but I don’t see the connection here.
The Oilers are the first team on this list with the traffic jam and firetruck-sounding horn. Some teams use it well, while others don’t quite give it the spin it needs. Unfortunately, the Oilers are in the second group. The song they use with this is “Fluxland” by XL, which the Tampa Bay Lightning used until they missed the playoffs in 2016–2017. Doesn’t quite catch the mark.
The Lightning use a unique two-tone horn with deep bellows and what sounds like someone hammering on the car horn to the point where it broke and is stuck. But afterward, all the energy is lost with a somewhat catchy song that doesn’t quite go anywhere.
The Golden Knights use a deep fog horn and a song from local group Panic! At the Disco, a nice touch, considering member Brandon Urie is a native of Las Vegas. But, if you have to overlay “Go Team Go” (in this case, Knights) over the song, it seems like they’re admitting it lacks a bit of punch for a goal song.
The Devils get points for running the horn and song separately. Giving the crowd space to cheer with the horn is a key element. They also went with “Howl” from New Jersey band The Gaslight Anthem as their song, so good on them for going local. However, the siren overlay doesn’t sit well. There’s too much competing noise, and at some point, we need just to let the song carry the fans back into the action.
The Capitals don’t necessarily have a unique horn as it resembles the other train-like horns. They also use a siren. Why is it higher than the other siren sounds, then? Well, their siren is unique. They went with the video game police car siren that potentially startles more unsuspecting fans than it excites, but it gives them their own sound over teams with a similar approach. Each player has their own goal song when they score. For example, Alex Ovechkin’s is “Shake, Rattle and Roll” by Big Joe Turner.
The horn is unique—it’s one long blast of a train-like horn and is quite annoying if you are not a fan of the Jets. The Jets also use individual songs to accompany their horn. Some go well with the horn, and others are less inspirational. My personal favorite is Neal Pionk’s song, “Renegade” by Styx.
The Kings have a train-like horn that sounds similar to Edmonton’s. The key difference is that they let the horn ring out on its own for a bit before the pumping “Power Ride (2022 Version)” by Fred Coury takes over and keeps the energy going. The song pairing adds a bit more fire to the celebration.
Like the Kings, the Ducks get points for simplicity. They pump out a deep fog horn, one of the deepest in the league but start the song a bit earlier than the Kings. This season, the Ducks goal song is “Coming for You” by the Offspring. It is ok, but I personally liked “Bro Hymn” by Pennywise just a little more.
For their inaugural season, the Utah Hockey Club’s goal horn is powerful and sounds three blasts when a goal is scored. The team’s goal song is “Papi” by KAAZE, featuring Alina Pozi. It is good, but not a great first effort. It does bring a nice energy and excitement.
There are a few Original Six-era teams in the top 10. It doesn’t have anything to do with tradition or respect. It might just have to do with the fact that they’ve had a bit more time to figure out great combinations. The Maple Leafs have a great horn that falls into the ship category. It’s deep and comes through with two strong blasts. “Panama” from Van Halen is an interesting selection, but it does work well in this spot.
Nashville’s powerful firetruck-like horn pushes it up the rankings here. It’s loud and really shakes you to the core. I credit them for embracing their style and turning to a country song immediately after. The “I like it, I love it” by Tim McGraw is a decent choice. The shift to “Gold on the Ceiling” by The Black Keys further adds to the post-goal celebration vibe.
Pittsburgh has a good train-quality horn, so they let it resonate between two blasts for a good 10 seconds. They follow it up with the rousing sounds of “Party Hard” by Andrew W.K. Many fans want that big party vibe at sporting events, so this combo works well.
There are some that think that the first song used “When the Blues Go Marching In” is not a great energy song. But you may want to respect the Blues for bringing something unique and meaningful to the presentation. After about 15 seconds, they witch over to the song is “The Blues Have the Urge Goal Song (Let’s Go Blues)” by The Urge.
I also like that the first song is played on an organ, giving a nod to a time when the vast majority of music played in arenas was on that instrument. The three blasts of the horn itself is also excellent and does not linger too long until the music starts.
The Sabres played two new songs inside KeyBank Center following goals this season. “Kickstart My Heart” by Mötley Crüe will be the team’s goal song when the Sabres wear their royal blue home jerseys. “Song 2” by Blur will play after goals when the Sabres are in black and red – marking a return to a fan-favorite tradition from the mid-2000s, including the Eastern Conference Final season in 2005-06. In addition to their traditional goal horn with three long blasts, they have added long-time announcer Rick Jeannerets’s “SCOOOOORE” to the presentation.
The train horn in Montréal is top-tier quality. It’s quite high-pitched, which gives it a fairly unique sound. It’s part of that beautiful atmosphere that fans talk about when they attend a game in Montréal. The goal horn stands out among a crowd of similar horn sounds and seems to carry a sense of tradition, even if you can’t quite point to what the tradition is (a great horn sound?). The “Canadiens Goal Song very generic, but it’s got some elements: something catchy, upbeat, and something you can chant along.
The Flames have the better of Alberta’s two horn/song combinations. The great firetruck-esque horn is right on theme and “T.N.T” by AC/DC works well. You can’t seem to go wrong with AC/DC in sports arenas, as it fits the brand and gets the crowd into it. I know there have been others who want a different kind of “fire” song but the Flames get this right by not messing with a classic.
The Hurricanes continue to do good work with their fan engagement work and have created a nice reputation for themselves in this regard. Their horn and song combo match the expectations. The horn falls into the ship-style category and carries the weight before fan favorite and local artist Petey Pablo takes over with “Raise Up.” It’s also worth noting that they don’t overlay the storm siren, which might seem like the easy choice. They’ve saved it for that pre-game pump-up and made it something special. It works on its own, and the horn and song can do their thing when called upon.
The Islanders’ horn almost sounds like a cross between train sounds and noises from the traffic jam or firetruck horn category. Joe Satriani’s “Crowd Chant” also works for the Islanders. He’s a talented local guitarist who wrote something intended to be chanted by a large crowd. Some think it is too cheesy, but in reality, it’s catchy and “chanty” enough to keep the vibe going after the horn has done its work.
This is a really good horn. It’s loud and one long burst of excitement after a lamp-lighter. It’s one of those train/ship horn combinations that covers the lower and higher ends of the horn range. The horn is what keeps them ranked this high as their goal song really does not resonate.
“Don’t You Forget About Me” by Simple Minds is a great classic but not a goal song. It really lacks energy, and there have been many social media posts about returning to Green Day or Van Halen. It is a song better used during timeouts.
Minnesota has done a good job with their range of great horns and horn/song combos for a while now. The last couple of years they have used “Shout” by the Isley Brothers after one long blare of the horn. This song brings great energy with it. Just ask fans of the NFL’s Buffalo Bills who have used their version of the song done by a Buffalo area musician since 1987. That would be the only way to improve on it is to have someone tailer the song to the Wild.
The Bruins take the first spot with their deep ship-like horn. It’s thematic in Boston even if they aren’t the Boston Ships. It’s powerful, even if it is a recording. They’ve also stuck with “Kernkraft 400” by Zombie Nation, and it’s hard to blame them for not changing it. It’s catchy and makes you move a bit, but it is one of the songs that is a little overplayed in sports arenas across the country. But it works well in Boston.
Yes, the Ottawa Senators have one of the league’s best horn/song combinations. You could argue that the horn resembles the one in Montréal, but it’s just because they both fall into the train horn category. Ottawa puts their spin on it with a fuller sound, and they really hammer the horn like a conductor, which is fun. “Song 2” by Blur is an arena staple, so you might argue that they made the obvious choice but it is one those classic’s that still works.
Dallas makes the music do the heavy lifting during the post-goal celebration, which works well. When you’ve got Pantera as a local band to draw from and the band wrote a song specifically for the Stars and fans, it’s hard to go wrong. They give you one blast of the horn and then “Puck Off” ramps up the celebration.
The “Dallas, Stars, Dallas, Stars” chant sounds great between the chugging guitars. It all works together for one of the NHL’s best horn/song combos.
Starting in the 2023-24 season, the Red Wings will use a goal horn that sounds somewhat familiar to the one they used when they played in Joe Louis Arena. Adding the song “Without Me” by hometown native Emimen gives the Red Wings a winning combination and has easily propelled them into the top five.
The Stanley Cup runs in 2009-10, 2012-13, and 2014-15, and all the playoff games in between cemented the legacy of this horn/song combo. It’s a great horn in the ship category that blows out three long blasts. The real draw, of course, is the use of “Chelsea Dagger” by The Fratellis. The “Doot Do Da Doot” part is so catchy and upbeat that you just get amped up when it comes on.
The Rangers goal horn sounds like such an old car or firetruck horn that I have to assume that if that’s the sound they want, they could only find and maintain it on a recording. The goal song is great, too. “Slapshot”, written by Ray Castoldi and debuted on January 20, 1995, at Madison Square Garden. It has the obligatory “Hey!” chant for fans looking to release some of that excitement in an appropriate manner, and really annoys fans of opposing teams.
The song, “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You” by AC/DC and the cannon jumps right in after about five seconds of a horn. Shortly after the song switches to “The Whip” by Locksley. The presentation is seamless and the Blue Jackets Cannon Crew adds to what has become the NHL’s best goal horn and song combo.
It is a shame that because the lack of playoff success that many have not been able to see this very much. It is so well done, I hope that Blue Jackets don’t change it for a very long time.
These are my rankings of all NHL goal horns. But, music and taste is horn sounds are subjective. Do you think your team deserves better goal-horn treatment? Feel free to comment below.
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