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Buffalo Sabres make hip-hop classic their unlikely new goal song

The connections between professional hockey and hip-hop are well established.

There was that time Snoop Dogg hung with commissioner Gary Bettman at an Anaheim Ducks game. There was that time Kris Kross wore New Jersey Devils jerseys in the “Jump Jump” video (backwards, of course, because they were totally Krossed out). There was Lil Jon, Thrashers fan. (RIP ... the team, not Lil Jon.) There was that time Alex Ovechkin was name-checked in a rap and performed a rap himself. There was … hmmm … give us a moment … uh … Drake?

So it should come as no surprise that the connection grows forever stronger, as the Buffalo Sabres have turned to an old school rap classic as their goal song this season.

On Thursday night, rookie Jack Eichel scored his first NHL goal. The horn sounded.  And then the familiar saxophone riff from DJ Kool’s classic “Let Me Clear My Throat” blared over the speakers, giving the Sabres perhaps the most distinct goal song in the NHL since the heyday of “Brass Bonanza” in Hartford.

“The fans, already roaring because Eichel scored, turned up the volume even more when the horns from the song came through the speakers,” wrote John Vogl of the Buffalo News.

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The song is the result of a fan vote, and we threw our miniscule weight behind the effort to make “Let Me Clear My Throat” as the official goal song. It defeated a bunch of generic rock songs that other arenas are no doubt playing as their goal songs. But considering this was one of the choices put forth into the tournament by the Sabres players themselves, it’s not only a fine choice but an officially endorsed one.

What was the reaction to the song last night? A few social media callouts:

And...

And

There's no telling if "Let Me Clear My Throat" will be fully embraced by Sabres Nation this season. Maybe it's just a novelty that'll wear off. Maybe by March, we'll be hearing some generic crunchy guitar rock anthem whose lyrics include the word "hey" roughly 75 times.

Or maybe the Buffalo Sabres just old skool'd the rest of the NHL and every song is its own mini-house party. That's possible, too.

What do you think of the new goal song?

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