- Brass Bonanza
Brass Bonanza, also known as the "Hartford Whalers Victory March" was adopted by the
Hartford Whalers as their theme song during their tenure in theWorld Hockey Association , and remained so through their years in theNational Hockey League . It was originally written byJack Say .Full versions, game-time versions and ringtones of the song are readily available at [http://www.brassbonanza.com BrassBonanza.com] , a fansite devoted to the Whalers and the Bonanza.
History
Jack Say, an aspiring musician, sold a piece of music to a record library and moved to Austria. Former Whalers official George Ducharme came across the piece. According to Ducharme: "It was one of those lucky things," he recalls. "The song was handed to us - arranged and orchestrated - in 1975–1976 and we didn't have to do a thing... "During the second season the team was in Hartford (1975–1976), I began to notice that there was something missing in the atmosphere in the building. We needed something, like a theme song, to add to the excitement when a goal was scored. But coming up with the right song was a different matter," he said. "I had the record at home for a couple of weeks," Ducharme said, "but never played it. Then, one Sunday, we had company over and one of the guests played the record for fun. When I heard the song I knew immediately it was perfect for us." He used it as a "bridge" on a 1976 Whalers highlights LP - the song became a hit, and stuck with the team from then on.
According to Jeff Jacobs of the
Hartford Courant , "Gordie Howe once began humming Brass Bonanza in my ear. He said he loved to hear it as a visiting player for the Houston Aeros, but hearing it every night with the Whalers "began to drive me nuts.""
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