LOS ANGELES -- Survey Says is back for this season!
For those who are new, Survey Says is a regular feature I started doing early last season where I go around the Penguins' locker room and ask as many players the same fun question as I can and compile their answers. Sometimes the questions are hockey related, like who their favorite player was growing up. Some of them were fun questions where they'd have to pick a teammate for something like who they would want to be roommates with on the road, or who they wouldn't trust to drive their car.
All of the previous editions can be found here.
For the Survey Says season debut, I asked a two-parter, and it's about goal songs.
Some teams -- like the Sabres, Capitals and Panthers -- have moved to having players choose one personal goal song after they score rather than one team goal song. Some other teams have dabbled in the concept in the past, and it's something you see in the minors in Europe occasionally too.
First, I asked what some of the players think of the concept in general of individual goal songs. Here's how they answered:
Jake Guentzel: I think it's kind of cool. It just kind of brings out and shows different people's personalities a little bit. It's kind of a unique thing. It's pretty cool kind of having your own, I'm open to both sides.
Sidney Crosby: I think it's cool, I like both. Some teams, you just know that certain songs they've played forever, but teams that have gone to individual ones, I think that's cool too.
P.O Joseph: I feel like it's getting closer to baseball a little bit when they do it. I like the original song where if someone scores, you know what to expect. I'm like, 70% same song for everyone, 30% on different.
Ryan Shea: I think that's pretty cool. I don't know what my goal song would be at all though, so maybe stick with the team. I like it though because there's a guy on the Phillies that has a walk-up song that the whole stadium was singing, that would be pretty cool.
Magnus Hellberg: I like that! They actually had that in my team in Sweden. But when I made a save -- like a really good save -- they played my song, and it was "The Man Behind The Mask." When I heard that it got me going a little bit.
Drew O'Connor: I don't like it because I wouldn't be able to pick something (laughs). I also think it's tricky, because it's hard to tell sometimes who scores. So then, like, what do you play? It's not a big deal if you get it wrong once in awhile, but I don't know. I just think it's better for the crowd to have one goal song that you can connect to and get the whole crowd into it, rather than switching it up every time.
Lars Eller: I like the concept of individual goal songs, I think of it as a little extra for the fans and adds a little personality to the game.
Vinnie Hinostroza: I like it. I played in Buffalo for two years and I had a personal goal song. When a guy would score, even if you're not watching, you knew who it was. The personal goal songs, a lot of them are kind of funny and bought up the mood on the team when someone scores, so it's a good idea. It's always fun to score a goal, and it's fun to add your own personal twist.
Chad Ruhwedel: It's a cool concept for sure, I wouldn't necessarily say that I'd prefer it here. But I can see why teams are doing it, just makes it a little more personal like in baseball.
Radim Zohorna: I feel like it should be like that, yeah, I like that. Everyone has their own song, that's a good idea.
Rickard Rakell: Yeah, yeah, I like that.
Ryan Graves: I think it's maybe not as fun for the fans, because they don't get to sing it. But I would pick my own goal song, for sure.
Bryan Rust: I think it's a lot of fun, guys have fun with it and pick things that either relate to their nick name or their past or whatever. I think it's just something fun that adds a little bit more personality.
Matt Nieto: I think it's cool when teams do it. But I think when you have a team song, the fans kind of cheer along and it makes it cool too.
Noel Acciari: I don't know. I think the team goal song is nice, because you're a team. But I guess it can kind of show your full personality too if you're picking your own, you could have some fun with it.
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For the second part to this question, I of course asked those players what their song would be if they had to pick.
Jake Guentzel: Well, I think it's pretty easy ... "Milkshake."
Sidney Crosby: Oh, that's a good one. I have no idea, I'd need some time to think. That'd be a big decision.
P.O Joseph: I'm going to go with "Freed From Desire." That was the song in Europe when we scored (at the 2023 World Championship with Canada) so there are good memories.
Ryan Shea: Maybe Sweet Caroline, for (being from) Boston.
Drew O'Connor: I honestly have no idea.
Lars Eller: An old rock song, I forgot the name. I asked for it last year and (the Capitals) didn't change it for me. But I used to have Eye of the Tiger and Survivor in Washington, that's what I used the last couple of years.
Vinnie Hinostroza: I'd have to get on my Spotify, I listen to a lot of music. But I had "Go Flex" by Post Malone last year.
Chad Ruhwedel: Probably some Eminem song, I'd say.
Radim Zohorna: Oh my gosh, some Czech song probably. For fun.
Rickard Rakell: Maybe a Swedish song, yeah.
Ryan Graves: Maybe a Yung Gravy song. That goes along with my name, so it'd be like a freebie.
Bryan Rust: I knew you were going to ask that and I don't have one right now. I'm the worst music guy, I'm the last guy to ask.
Matt Nieto: Probably "La Bamba," actually.
Noel Acciari: (Jeff Carter, chiming in from the next stall: 'We just talked about this! You can't go back on it!') Uhh, probably "Pony" by Ginuwine.
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I asked many of these guys the question last Saturday after a morning skate. That morning I was thinking about the last time I did something about the idea of individual goal songs, way back in 2019 after the Penguins switched to "Jump Around" as their song. And I remembered the exchange I had early on with a couple of players sitting near each other about it. I asked Adam Johnson, and he started talking about how he only listens to "chill oldies" and that he didn't think any of his music is exciting enough for a goal song. His next-door-neighbor in the room, Jared McCann, was listening to Johnson's answer, and overheard him struggling to decide. McCann chimed in and said that the Canucks did individual goal songs when he was in Vancouver, and that he couldn't think of anything at the time and got given something he said was terrible in "Tsunami" by DVBBS & Borgeous, Johnson would have to figure something out if this was a real scenario. Joseph Blandisi on the other side of Johnson chimes in with "Shots" by LMFAO, an incredible pick.
Johnson died later that Saturday, several hours after I was thinking about that exchange. When I spoke with Blandisi on the phone a couple days later for the story I did collecting memories of Johnson from his former teammates, I mentioned afterward that I had just been thinking about the two of them because of that brief conversation that stemmed from Johnson not being able to pick a song.
Blandisi said he disagreed that Johnson's "chill oldies" wouldn't make a good goal song, and said his pick for his former linemate and friend would be "Live is Life" by Opus:
