Stephen Colbert is every bit as passionate about The Hockey Theme as Canadians it seems, promising to license "the most precocious Arctic treasure of all" for use in the United States.
The host of The Colbert Report made light of the recent song flap Tuesday on his show, seen on Comedy Central in the U.S., and The Comedy Network in Canada.
Colbert informed his viewers of the hubbub over the song ending a 40-year run on Hockey Night in Canada. Included was video of Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach sputtering, "This is ridiculous."
"Strong words from a Canadian," Colbert retorted on camera.
Colbert proceeded to play the song while enjoying some favourite aspects of Americana: eating a hotdog, waving the Stars and Stripes and brandishing a toy gun. As the song came to an end, the host improvised some lyrics, which included a verse about "punching beavers in the face."
It's not the first time Colbert has had some fun with Canada's passion for the game. Last year, Colbert produced a running item on the Ontario Hockey League series between the Oshawa Generals and the Saginaw Spirit.
Copyright Music & Visuals, representing composer Dolores Claman, opted not to renew a deal with CBC Sports over use of The Hockey Theme. Shortly after a negotiation deadline passed, the song was sold to CTV Inc.
