Has a McMaster psychologist written Canada’s next great hockey song?

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The 1962-1963 McMaster Marlins hockey club. The team, coached by Les Prince, won its only University Cup national championship that year in a four-team playoff.


It’s the dream of more than a few Canadian youth: burying a slapshot in the top corner of the net to win the Stanley Cup while millions across the country watch on Hockey Night in Canada.

But not everyone has moves like Sidney Crosby.

So what’s the next best thing for someone who’s more Gordon Lightfoot than Gordie Howe?

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Nathan Cooper, a psychologist at McMaster’s Wellness Centre, hopes his song The Greatest Hockey Game of All will be Canada’s next big hockey tune.

Writing Canada’s next great hockey song, of course.

That’s what Student Wellness Centre psychologist Nathan Cooper may have done, with his entry into CBC’s new SongQuest contest.

The national broadcaster is accepting anthems, ballads and everything in between in an effort to find a song to feature in a video montage to be aired before a game.

Cooper’s tune, The Greatest Hockey Game of All, is a folksy nod to the sport’s ubiquity in this country.

“I wanted to write something that people could relate to,” he says of the song, which he put to paper in just minutes. “It’s not about the NHL – it’s about ball hockey, pond hockey. It’s about the essence of hockey.”

Songwriting has recently become a hobby for Cooper, who describes himself not as a true guitarist but as someone who can play the guitar.

Produced with the help of friend Keon Crosswell, The Greatest Hockey Game of All currently has nearly 500 plays on the CBC’s website. But Cooper isn’t really concerned about winning the contest.

“I remember getting up for the 5 a.m. practices, and now I’m getting up to take my kids to 5 a.m. practices,” he says. “Hockey is everyone’s game, and that’s what really drove me to enter The Greatest Hockey Game of All. If Canada likes the song, that’s great. If Canada doesn’t like the song, then that’s OK too.”

The top 50 songs, as voted by the public, will be screened by a panel of judges including former NHLers and Canadian musicians. Votes can be cast once a day until December 11.