Ranking NHL goal horns (32-22)

Goal horns are a staple of the hockey experience, something you cannot miss. Having the blaring sound of a boat, truck, or train horn combined with the roar of a rowdy crowd can elevate any sport, especially ice hockey.

But how well do the NHL's goal horns stack up? Each team in the National Hockey League has its own combination of horn, song, and other goal presentations that stand out, some better than others.

For this ranking, only the main song will be used; no player or specialty night goal songs are allowed. We will use a 30-point ranking, 10 points for the horn, 10 points for the song, and an additional 10 points for other goal presentations. All non-recorded horns will automatically get three points in the presentation category.

Given that this is the bottom 11, expect some mediocre showings.

32 - Anaheim Ducks, 11 Points (4-2-5)

Wow. It is impressive to be this awful. The one thing the Ducks had going for them was their iconic goal song "Bro Hymn" by Pennywise. Then, the team made a boneheaded decision to replace it. Now that it’s gone, the lowest-pitched horn in the NHL sits at the bottom of the list.

31 - Ottawa Senators, 12 Points (2-5-5)

Cover your ears, folks; this one is bad. This nail on a chalkboard-sounding horn is saved only by an overused song in "Song 2" by Blur. Maybe when the Senators get a new arena, they’ll leave this horn in the dumpster.

30 - Edmonton Oilers, 13 Points (3-5-5)

Another horn that tries to be different but comes off as annoying. These horns are an homage to the trucking roots of Edmonton, being Hadley H00640R horns, but the pitch is way too high to be enjoyable. The eurobeat song "Fluxland" by XL is an interesting choice, but even it can’t save this hunk of metal from being in the bottom three.

29 - Utah Hockey Club, 14 Points (5-5-4)

Welcome to the NHL Utah. Delta Center has been rocking the last couple of weeks, but the subpar horn is very noticeable. The last two expansion teams released stellar goal horns, but this one isn’t worth praise. It is quiet, recorded, and has a forgettable goal song in "Papi" by KAAZE. When the real name of the UHC is announced, please add a new horn and song combo.

28 - Vancouver Canucks, 17 Points (6-5-6)

Finally, out of the bad horns, we arrive at the horns that are just ok. Vancouver had a good thing going, as their 2010 array was headlined by "Holiday" by Green Day, widely considered one of the best goal songs. Nowadays, "Don't You Forget About Me" by Simple Minds doesn’t hit like Holiday did, and the mix of three different horns sounds messy.

27 - Florida Panthers, 17 Points (7-3-7)

You just had to ruin it Florida. The Panthers have a decent horn and a great presentation with the iconic partner growls that they share with Penn State, but the song is where they drop hard. "Sweetness" by Jimmy Eats World was perfect and would have catapulted the Panthers into the top 10, but the team changed it to a crappy, off-brand team-made song. Do better.

26 - Buffalo Sabers, 18 Points (7-7-4)

Florida, this is how you change an iconic goal song. DJ Kool’s "Let Me Clear My Throat" was their go-to for many years, but a change had to be made. After dabbling into the murky waters of player goal songs, the Sabers settled on "Kickstart My Heart" by Motley Crue, a true hockey song. The lack of extra presentation holds Buffalo back, but the horn and song are both solid.

25 - Toronto Maple Leafs, 19 Points (9-5-5)

Toronto is the first team to have a truly great horn, and for good reason. The Kahlenberg S203 is used by five teams around the league, as its power and volume cannot be matched by any other. However, a lack of presentation and a knockoff of the Colorado Avalanches song stops Toronto from getting to 20 points.

24 - Carolina Hurricanes, 20 Points (7-8-5)

Fun fact: the Carolina Hurricanes goal horn is the oldest in the league, being manufactured in 1944. Unfortunately, the horn has been showing its age, losing some of its volume over the years. "Raise Up" by Petey Pablo is an exemplary song, but removing the Ric Flair "Woo" from the start of the song doesn't help its case.

23 - Winnipeg Jets, 21 Points (7-7-7)

One of the most unique horns, Winnipeg has a very average setup for the league. The Leslie RS5T train horn gives out a harmonic blast, at the cost of volume. "Gonna Celebrate" by The Phantoms will get the crowd going and an air raid siren ties the whole thing together, giving the Jets a very solid showing.

22 - Detroit Red Wings, 21 Points (7-8-6)

Bias aside, the old Joe Louis Arena horn was the best in the NHL. "Hey, Hey, Hockeytown" made the duo unstoppable, but at some point change is necessary. When the Wings moved to Little Caesars Arena in 2017, the team found that the old horns were too quiet and that the Michigan fire code outlawed the compressed nitrogen the horns used.

The new horn sounds great though, and having "Without Me" by Eminem as the song was a great troll choice, although a less annoying song may have been preferred. Overall, a solid combo for Hockeytown that is miles better than the recording used from 2017-2023.

Check in next week for No. 21 to No. 11

Zachary Braithwood is a first-year majoring in telecommunications. To contact him, email ztb5138@psu.edu.