A panel of sports analysts is put together to try to relate what is happening in the current game or match to the viewers. The analysts will provide expertise and opinion while trying to connect with fans of all knowledge levels of the sports.
What sometimes happens, to fans’ delight, is that the analysts will get wrapped up in some non-sports-related tangent that turns into a hilarious encounter. This is what happened on Wednesday night during Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals between the Oilers and the Panthers.
The announcer panel consisted of hockey icon Wayne Gretzky, former player Paul Bissonnette, host Liam McHugh, former player Anson Carter and Hall of Famer Henrik Lundqvist. As much as Gretzky knows about hockey, he doesn’t seem to have his finger on the pulse of the pop music world.
The panel mentioned “Pink Pony Club”, and Gretzky’s first question was, “Is that a band?” The rest of the conversation went about how you’d expect after that solid opening.
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Here is more on Bissonnette explaining Roan’s ‘Pink Pony Club’ to Gretzky.
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Paul Bissonnette explains ‘Pink Pony Club’ to Wayne Gretzky
If you listen to pop music, it has been hard over the last two years to avoid a song by Chappell Roan. Her debut studio album “The Rise and Fall of the Midwest Princes”‘ shot up the charts and gave us several hits. “Femininomenon”, “Red Wine Supernova”, “Hot to Go!” and “Pink Pony Club” all shot up the charts and were unavoidable on the radio in 2024.
Edmonton has adopted ‘Pink Pony Club’ as its anthem, and after a huge overtime Game 1 win in the Stanley Cup Finals, someone on the panel said they would be playing the song for sure. This led Greztky to ask what that is.
When Bissonnette explained it was a song by a very popular artist, The Great One asked, “Canadian or American?”
Gretzky ends by saying, “I gotta get that on my ringtone.”
Biz is explaining Chappell Roan to Wayne Gretzky 😭 pic.twitter.com/ZFZ6I8YxyD
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) June 5, 2025
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Why has ‘Pink Pony Club’ become Oilers anthem in the 2024-2025 season
The first time we heard of Edmonton playing “Pink Pony Club” in the locker room, it was after a win in the first round of this year’s playoffs.
In case you’ve ever wondered what the #Oilers are playing in the room after a win these days, Chapelle Roan’s Pink Pony Club is blaring for a second straight game 🎶
— Brenden Escott (@BrendenEscott) April 28, 2025
The lore behind the Roan hit and its ties to Edmonton remain a mystery. The team has refused to discuss in interviews why they have adopted the anthem, with Evan Bouchard telling the Edmonton Sun, “We’re going to keep that one within the team.” Calvin Pickard added to the mystery, saying, “Well, I know exactly when it started, but I don’t know if I want to let that secret out. I know exactly when, because I was there. But, I am going to keep it tight to the chest.”
The Roan hit was used as a sing-along during regular-season games, but has now been played after wins in the playoffs. The song is about overcoming adversity by persevering through it and ultimately finding a sense of belonging. Edmonton hopes that it will battle through the adversity of the playoffs and the Stanley Cup will belong to them.
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