

"Hockey Night in Canada," a 1968 song written by Dolores Claman from Vancouver, has been a longstanding staple of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s hockey broadcasts, but fans won’t be hearing it next season. CBC has refused to renew its license for the song, which costs the company about $500 in licensing fees per game. Instead, CBC is holding a contest to see who can write a winning replacement for the theme.

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"I am saddened by the decision of the CBC to drop the Hockey Night in Canada theme (listen below) after our lengthy history together," said Claman. "I nevertheless respect its right to move in a new direction."

Update: CBC rival CTV has purchased the song for its own hockey broadcasts.

Claman had sued the CBC in 2004 for playing the song more than its license allowed. Her agency, Copyright Music & Visuals, says it offered CBC-TV the chance to renew its license for the song under terms that were "virtually identical" to the one that had been agreed upon in years past.

The agency’s website for the song refers to it as "Canada’s Second National Anthem," and hockey fans have sprung to her defense, for which she is grateful.

"I wrote this songwith a picture of warriors in my head… hockey warriors," said Clamant. "Now it would seem thehockey fans are the true warriors. Thank you so much for all of your kind wordsand anecdotes about how much the song means to you."

According to Copyright Music & Visuals, CBC said it was notgoing to renew the deal only one minute before the CBC’s deadline forlicensing the song.

Rather than continuing to license the song, CBC indicated that itwould run a contest to find a song to replace "Hockey Night in Canada."

(Previously, the network had run contests

to see which band could record the best cover of the song.) The contestis said to involve the Vancouver-based Nettwerk Records, home to AvrilLavigne, Sarah McLachlanand The Barenaked Ladies. People would be able to tune in and vote.

It’s unclear whether Claman herself is barred from entering; if she were to enter, she’d probably run away with the thing.

Hockey Night in Canada Theme





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(via CBC; Photo: Mister V)

