Happy Hockey Day, everyone! This posting has been in the works for a long time, with 90’s bands and NHL franchises swapping positions more frequently than a sausage race at a Brewers games. Now that hockey season is finally here, it seems like a good time to roll out the first in a series of blogs linking two of my passions: music from the 90’s [the greatest musical decade of all time] and hockey [the most physically demanding sport in the universe].
Since there are such a finite number of NHL teams [30, for those keeping score at home], and thousands [seemingly MILLIONS] of great 90’s bands, some people are bound to be disappointed with my choices/omissions. Read my justification for linking each entity [and read the fun links, too!] before getting all up in arms. Where possible I tried to connect a team’s success in the 1990’s with similar periods of success for the corresponding bands. Basically, the only hard rule that I stuck to was the musical act needed to release an album in the 90’s. After that, it turned into a fun trip down memory lane.
In an effort to better familiarize myself with the new divisions the NHL is sporting this year, I will release my picks one division at a time. First up, the Metropolitan division. This new collection of teams boasts some serious Stanley Cup pedigree and thus earned some impressive musical comparisons. Bands like Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins and the Red Hot Chili Peppers should all enjoy their new homes in the Metro.
Metropolitan Division
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90's Band
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Justification
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Carolina Hurricanes
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Weezer
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Brief spurts of success followed by long periods of [playoff-missing] misery. Fans have plenty of time to remember the good 'ol days as they wait an agonizingly-long time for a new album [that won’t even have a real name].
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Columbus Blue Jackets
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Jimmy Eat World
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Naming a good Jimmy Eat World song is probably as difficult as naming a Blue Jackets player that is/was really good. Both certainly exist, but they are few and far between.
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New Jersey Devils
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Red Hot Chili Peppers
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Bands are backstopped by bassists much like defense backstops success in the NHL. No 90’s band has a better bassist than Flee and no 90’s team had better defense [and goaltending] than the Devils.
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New York Islanders
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Billy Joel
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Breakout success in the 1980's. Recorded his last album in 1993... Right around the time the Islanders had their last good team. Comeback tour, Billy? I think you’d sell out the Barclays Center in record time.
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New York Rangers
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Metallica
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An Original Six metal band who proved they could still hang with the big guns of the 90's. The band headlined Woodstock Too the same year the team won the Cup.
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Philadelphia Flyers
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Beastie Boys
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Badass band, badass team. I’m pretty sure that if all the band members weren't from NYC, they would be Flyers fans.
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Pittsburgh Penguins
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Pearl Jam
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Maybe the most prolifically 90's band on the list, paired with a franchise that started the decade off with a bang. Both with frontmen that continue to carry the torch. [P.S. Doesn't Ron Francis look a lot like Eddie Vedder? Ok, maybe not.]
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