The NHL could be on the way to its version of 鈥淎re You Ready For Some Football?鈥�
The league is announcing a two-year partnership with Green Day that includes an opening song for NBC Sports鈥� 鈥淲ednesday Night Hockey.鈥� The song, 鈥淩eady, Fire, Aim鈥� isn鈥檛 custom-made for the NHL and will be on Green Day鈥檚 next album, though it鈥檚 likely a matter of time until Green Day or another band follows what Hank Williams Jr. and later Carrie Underwood did for the NFL.
鈥淭hat I think will probably be the evolution,鈥� NHL chief content officer and executive Vice-President Steve Mayer said. 鈥淚f you look at our season and how many times this thing is going to be on, it鈥檒l become an anthem. The song, we鈥檙e using slap shots, it鈥檚 about scoring and speed 鈥� 鈥淔ire, Ready, Aim鈥� 鈥� I think people will start associating this.鈥�
Green Day鈥檚 open will debut Oct. 9. The band will also perform at the All-Star Game in St. Louis in late January, and new singles from its album will be released on 鈥淲ednesday Night Hockey.鈥�
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to try some bold thing,鈥� Mayer said. 鈥淭he performance that we鈥檙e talking about at All-Star will be epic.鈥�
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Green Day songs will be incorporated into arena mixes around the NHL and provide the soundtrack for much of the season on NBC Sports Network and NBC.
鈥淲e think it fits really well with hockey,鈥� NBC Sports executive producer Sam Flood said. 鈥淭he song and the way it鈥檚 executed is really fun.鈥�
Fourteen of the band鈥檚 upcoming tour stops will come in NHL markets, including Seattle, which will join the league in 2021.
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鈥淕reen Day, just the energy, how they have this great history but they keep on sort of reinventing themselves, they just work for us,鈥� Mayer said. 鈥淭heir music is going to be part of a lot of what we鈥檙e doing.鈥�
Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press
