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The team also bought a new organ and tweaked it to suit the Canadian Tire Centre. Where once fans entered the building listening to a prerecorded playlist, next season the organist will be playing live.

“There’s nothing like walking into a hockey arena and listening to the organ grinding away,” Gallant said. “That’s the atmosphere we want to create.”

“When you walk through the door and you see something, you smell something, you hear something. You know where you are and that the atmosphere we’re trying to create: The ‘I’m at a hockey game’ feeling.”

In truth, the new Yamaha keyboard is more synthesizer than organ, Gallant concedes. “It’s not like you see in Chicago or Tampa Bay — the big massive beast … but it can do a trumpet and accordion. It can do violin. We’ve put in a bigger tool for the person to use.”

The Sens organist has some discretion about what to play, but also wears headphones to keep in constant contact with Gallant and the production team. “I might have the person play ‘Go Sens Go’, then ask for the Simpson or the A-Team theme. They’ve got to have a wide knowledge of songs.”

One requirement in the ad is that the organist must have a feel for the crowd, one who “notices and accurately interprets what clients are feeling, based on their words, tone of voice, expressions, and other nonverbal behaviour.”

“The new organist might not get that, but I’ve been doing this for 20 years and sometimes I don’t get it,” Gallant said. “Every crowd is a different beast every night. You might be building up the crowd then there’s a major injury. If you’ve just seen some guy getting his head taken off, you’re not going to play ‘You Shook Me All Night Long’.”

The competition is open until 11:59 p.m. on May 15 and candidates must send a three-minute demo along with their resume to Game Production, Ottawa Senators Hockey Club: 1000 Palladium Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, K2V 1A5; or by email to gp@ottawasenators.com

bcrawford@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/getBAC