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Canada’s World Cup goal song is ‘We Dem Boyz’ (Video)

Wiz Khalifa
Wiz Khalifa

TORONTO – The World Cup of Hockey preliminary round ended for Canada on Wednesday night with a 4-1 win over Team Europe. In total, the Canadians scored 14 times in winning three games.

That’s a whole lot of Wiz Khalifa right there.

Allow us to explain: The Pittsburgh rapper’s “We Dem Boyz,” from his 2014 album Blacc Hollywood, is the official goal song of Team Canada. (Please, if you have any sense of decency, don’t tell Drake. It’ll crush him.)

Listen to it here, as Joe Thornton scores against the Czech Republic:

And here in the ACC when Matt Duchene scored:

Fourteen times, a Canadian player scored, a loud air horn went off and the laconic hip-hop beat of “We Dem Boyz” filled the Air Canada Centre.

Sample prose:

Hol’ up, hol’ up, hol’ up, pop a bottle/
Hol’ up, hol’ up, hol’ up, if you suck and swallow/
Smell that marijuana, they gon’ follow/
Throwin’ money on her like she won the lotto/

Awesome. We’ll go ahead and credit the Buffalo Sabres’ adoption of “Let Me Clear My Throat” last season as breaking the hip-hop goal song glass ceiling.

So how did a Wiz Khalifa song that was previously best known in Toronto as Aaron Sanchez’s walk-up music in 2015 become Canada’s official World Cup of Hockey anthem?

“I have no comment,” said defenseman Jake Muzzin, with a laugh. “I don’t know. There might have been a discussion. I like that song, though.”

Forward Steven Stamkos indicated that Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings defenseman and hip-hop fan, may have been the catalyst.

“That might be through Doughty. He was talking about what song we’re going to play,” said Stamkos.

Turns out there’s some history between Hockey Canada and “We Dem Boyz.” The 2015 Canadian World Junior team used it as a goal song, as did the 2016 IIHF world champions from Canada:

That team included Canada World Cup players Corey Perry, Brad Marchand and Ryan O’Reilly.

“It’s got a good ring to it. Sounds good when we score,” said Stamkos.

And score. And score. And score. Frankly, some people are tired of hearing it so often in the World Cup of Hockey.

“I hope it gets even more annoying,” said Stamkos.


Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.

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