(Sung to the tune of ‘American Pie’)
A long, long time ago
I can still remember how his hockey used to make me smile
And I knew if I had the chance
On the ice I’d also dance
And maybe I’d be happy for a while
But Number 9 he made me shiver
With every elbow he delivered
Bad news on the fore-check
Worse news on the back-check
I can’t remember if I cried
When I read about his widower pride
But something touched me deep inside….
The Day…. Mr. Hockey Died
So bye bye to hockey’s number one guy
Drove my chevy to the ‘rena
To meet up with the guys
Them good ole boys were drinking beer and some rye
Singing this is Howe we’ll play till we die
This is Howe we’ll play till we die
Did you read the book of Puck
And do you have faith in Howe above
If the Hockey -Bible tells you so
Now do you believe that big elbow
Can shake and rattle your mortal soul
And do you want to score some real, real- good goals
Well, I know that we’re in love with him
It’s the reason we still hit the gym
We all kick off our shoes
And pretend we’re St. Louis Blues
I was a lonely middle-aged, skatin’ truck
With some real slow moves and a hockey puck
But I knew I was out of luck
The day….. Mr. Hockey Died.
I started singing…
Bye bye to hockey’s number one guy
Drove my chevy to the ‘rena
To meet up with the guys
Them good ole boys were drinking beer and some rye
Singing this is Howe we’ll play till we die
This is Howe we’ll play till we die
Now for 35 years we’ve been on our own
Getting much more fat – our kids all grown
But that’s not how it used to be
We were centers in a hockey dream
Wearing jerseys on a Red Wings team
Getting cross- ice passes from Great Gordie
And while hockey king’s now looking down
He still is wearing that hockey crown
The game is not adjourned
His teammates await his return
We hope our elbows will hit their mark
And shoot our slap shots just like Brad Park
And slashing ankles like Bobby Clarke
The day Mr. Hockey Died
We were singing.
Bye bye to hockey’s number one guy
Drove my chevy to the ‘rena
To meet up with the guys
Them good ole boys were drinking beer and some rye
Singing this is Howe we’ll play till we die
This is Howe we’ll play till we die
Kids helter skelter in a winter shelter
A quanset rink built like a fallout shelter
We were 4 feet high and skating fast
And sometimes tripped on some grass
The players tried a forward pass
One kid on the sidelines in a cast
Our hockey bags were sweet perfume
Hoping hockey gods would come see us soon
Sometimes we got a chance
But most times were on our pants
Cause the players tried to score a goal
The defenseman refused to yield
Now you recall those young ordeals
The day Mr. Hockey died
We started singin’..
Bye bye to hockey’s number one guy
Drove my chevy to the ‘rena
To meet with the guys
Them good ole boys were drinking beer and some rye
Singing this is Howe we’ll play till we die
This is Howe we’ll play till we die
Oh here were are all in one place
On a team that’s still -in last- place
With no time left to start again
So come- on boys- skate real-nimble, shoot real- quick
Take some shots with your comp’site sticks
Cause the scout from the Devils is looking in
And as we watch him leave the hockey stage
Our hands are clenched in mortal rage
But devil’s in for a spell
Because that guy he hits like Hell
And as the light climbs high into the night
We celebrate his long, good life
Knowing Satan will-soon cower in fright
The day Mr. Hockey Died
We were singin’
Bye bye to hockey’s number one guy
Drove my chevy to the ‘rena
To meet up with the guys
Them good ole boys were drinking beer and some rye
Singing this is Howe we’ll play till we die
This is Howe we’ll play till we die
I met a man from the Hockey News
I asked him all ‘bout Gordie’s moves
But he just smiled and turned away
I went down to the hockey store
Where I had taped my hockey stick once before
But a man there said ‘today you just can’t play’
In the streets the old men screamed
The players cried from broken dreams
Not a word was spoken
About the noses’ he had broken
And the hockey player I admire the most
Had rung his last shot …off the post
He took his last shift…… he didn’t coast
The day…. Mr. Hockey Died.
And they were singing
Bye bye to hockey’s number one guy
Drove my chevy to the ‘rena
To meet up with the guys
Them good ole boys were drinking beer and some rye
Singing that is Howe we’ll play till we die
This is Howe we’ll play till we die
Bye bye to hockey’s number one guy
Drove my chevy to the ‘rena
To meet up with the guys
Them good ole boys were drinking beer and some rye
Singing this is Howe we’ll play till we die
This is Howe we’ll play till we die
pucksense 