Newfoundland song celebrates Team Canada goals at world juniors

ST. JOHN'S, N.L. – For the second year in a row, Team Canada is celebrating its goals at the world junior ice hockey championship with a song from Newfoundland.

"Ordinary Day" by Great Big Sea blasted five times from the arena speakers in Gothenburg, Sweden, on Tuesday as Team Canada played to a 5-2 victory against Finland.

Hockey Canada executive Scott Salmond said there were about 3,500 Canadians in the stands for the game, many of whom jumped up and sang along when the tune came on.

He says the upbeat, trad rock song was suggested by team doctor R.J. MacKenzie, who hails from Cape Breton, N.S.

Salmond says the song choice is taken very seriously, and this year managers and other staff spent about two weeks sifting through the contenders before settling on "Ordinary Day."

Last year, Team Canada used "Heavy Away" by Newfoundland and Labrador band The Fables, and it climbed to No. 12 on the Spotify Viral 50 Canada chart by the end of the tournament.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 27, 2023.