FROZEN FOUR WIN SONG BRACKET.
In many ways, the most amazing part of the first annual Win Song Frozen Four bracket, is that there wasn’t a single team that picked “I’m Shipping up to Boston” by Dropkick Murphys. How could this happen? As John Buccigross likes to say, “the great American city of Boston” was host to this year’s Frozen Four tournament. Were the Dropkick Murphys too obvious a win song choice? Too basic, like Karen’s avocado toast? Too sweaty?
If these are the sort of questions that keep you up at night, you’ve come to the right spot as Pulltab Sports and Everything College Hockey are about to dive straight down the win song rabbit hole. And let me tell you, it’s a pretty wonderful place to be.
If you’re new to all of this, let’s start with the anatomy of a win song. A win song is the song a hockey team will consistently play in the locker room after victories. See how that works . . .Win . . .Song. Of course, this is hockey, so it’s never that straightforward. Could a team have multiple win songs throughout the year? Sure. Could they not have one? Yep. Or maybe they switched things up because they were on a heater with Mr. Worldwide, before hitting a rough patch and Hall & Oates provided a slump buster. But while some teams might not have a true win song, most hockey teams have a player or two assigned to “aux chord” (which doesn’t involve a chord) duties in the locker room, and most great hockey seasons have a corresponding soundtrack. A recent example of this was the St. Louis Blues epic run from last place to Stanley Cup Champions with Laura Branigan’s “Gloria” blaring every step of the way.
In summary, championship hockey teams have players that act as locker room DJs (aux chord), and when something is working with the music, you don’t change it. Hence, the win song.
This year Pulltab Sports and Everything College Hockey went method actor on win-songs. Like Daniel Day-Lewis with a fresh roll of clear tape, we reached out to all sixteen teams in the NCAA tournament to find out their win song, see what it meant to them, and most importantly—determine which win songs actually help you win!
Let’s start there. These are the win songs of the four remaining teams, who successfully shipped up to Boston for this week’s Frozen Four:
University of Michigan—"Bro Hymn” by Pennywise
As was to be expected, the Frozen Four Win Song Bracket oozed with testosterone. The bass line on this early ‘90s gem is fierce. Combine the sing-a-long “oh oh oh oh” that kicks in around the one minute mark, with a lineup that includes seven first rounders, and before you know it, the Wolverines have already “oh oh oh oh oh” their way to the next round.
University of Denver—“We Dem Boys” Wiz Khalifa
Hol’ Up! The Pioneers brought their own bro sountrack from (unless the Internet is wrong, which never happens) Minot, North Dakota rapper Wiz Khalifa. Another great thumper for the room, as you can see Bobby Brink bobbing his head before yelling, “We Makin’ Noise!”
University Minnesota—“Closing Time” by Semisonic
As Mel Kiper Jr. might say, the Golden Gophers went “off the board” for their win song selection. There are two reasons this win song selection might be pure brilliance. For starters, it’s a song from a Minnesota band. Check. But secondly, the double meaning of “closing time” as the Gophers focus on making that one last push as a group for the stretch drive at the end of a long season. Wow. I see what you’re doing there. And all I can say is, “I know who I want to take me home.” Well played.
Minnesota State—“Hey Baby” by DJ Ötzi
While Minnesota State does get a penalty for picking the same song as rival St. Cloud State, don’t underestimate the skills of DJ Ötzi. At first blush, it seems like the Mavericks chose to goof on the assignment. But give “Hey Baby” a listen and you’ll immediately feel the Spring Break energy. As far as win songs go, this one may start as a sleeper pick but upon further inspection it’s wonderful. From the “ooh ahh” call and response behind the chorus, to the pure joy of the track itself—there’s a reason the Mavericks are dancing.
While those tracks are the proven winners of the frozen four selections, a deeper look into the win song bracket reveals some interesting trends:
Farruko Takes the L
A whopping three teams (American International, Northeastern, UMASS) all chose “Pepas” by Farruko for their win song. While we give them points for picking a song sung in Spanish, with a killer chorus, and crazy club beats, these teams went a combined 0-3. Dios mio!
Retro Gets The Job Done
Retro songs had a decent track record in the Win Song Bracket. Minnesota Duluth brought Billy Idol’s “Mony Mony” to the party, squaring off with Michigan Tech’s “Gimme Gimme” by ABBA in the first round. Michigan Tech must have a bench full of beauties picking this ABBA deep track as their win song. “Gimme! Gimme! (A Man after Midnight).” Punch my ticket to Houghton, I want to party with these guys! The Western Michigan Broncos also pulled off a win behind the old school flare of Cher’s “Believe.” When it comes to win songs, it seems nostalgia does count for something.
Don’t Sleep on a Soundtrack?
What was behind Notre Dame’s upset of North Dakota? Could it be that the Irish chose “Car Wash” by the Cool Kidzz off the Shark Tales soundtrack as their win song? Yes, you read that correctly. Also, pure genius.
Which win song will ultimately be the champion? Well, I guess you’ll just have to watch. And listen. More soon.
