Everything you ever wanted to know about goal horns

Two of our most popular blog posts are about goal horns, and I bet this one will be just as popular.

There's a great thread on the Hockey Music Forum about the technology behind hockey goal horns -- complete with photos, videos, audio files, technical specifications, and more.

A sample: "We use a real freight train locomotive horn model "K3L" manufactured by Airchime. Our rinks is not large, however we have the horn specifically set so that it's loud and not ear piercing. The model Ottawa has is the same as ours, which is a three trumpet horn with the exception of the third trumpet which is a K5 and we use a K3. The K3 gives a deeper note than the K5 which is not hard on the ears if set at 60psi."

(The photo above is a Black Finish 4 Horn Kit & 2.0 Gallon Tank from HornBlasters.com)

Columbus Blue Jackets add a cannon

From the Ottawa Sun:

Ken Hitchcock is a U.S. Civil War junkie who coaches a team named for Ohio's union soldiers. So he was ecstatic when the Blue Jackets asked him to help pick out an authentic cannon to "fire" a salute at Nationwide Arena every time his team comes on the ice, scores or wins. The team paid $20,000 US for an 1873 Napoleon field gun that will flash and billow smoke, while a 105-decibel blast is triggered in the rafters.

24 goal horns in 31 seconds

Check out this great YouTube compilation of 24 NHL Goal Horns.



(via Kukla's Korner)

Behind the scenes at Joe Louis Arena

From the Detroit News, here's an account of some of the staff and activities that go on behind the scenes to prepare for a Red Wings game:

Ricky Gopigian Audio engineer ... By 9:30 a.m. Sunday, he was doing routine checks around the building, including a stop in the media work room to prepare morning news conferences. He also made sure Karen Newman had the proper setup for the national anthem ... Gopigian, an entertainment business veteran since the late 1970s, ended the day overseeing the postgame news conferences.

...

Sheldon Nueman Director of broadcasting ... Nueman has the most unique office in Detroit. It's 100 feet above center ice. From there -- inside the giant four-sided scoreboard at the Joe -- Nueman and his company control everything from the animated octopus to the distinctive horns that blare after goals. Nueman, 51, president of Livonia-based Joseph Productions Inc., also can control the video needs at Comerica Park and the Hockeytown Café from this location.
...
As for the goal horns, they're real horns powered by nitrogen tanks. Hockey fans know the sound is unique to the Joe, and Nueman wouldn't be more specific about how it's created.

"It's a mystery, kind of like the recipe for Kentucky Fried Chicken," Nueman said

.
(via Kukla's Korner)

Blow your own goal horn

Fun idea from Kukla's Korner:

Play the goal horn whenever a team scores -- complete with MP3 goal horns from Anaheim, Buffalo, Carolina, and Edmonton.

Related: Goal horns from around the NHL

Goal Horns from around the NHL

Here's a detailed list of goal horns and goal songs from around the National Hockey League:
2KHockey.net Forums -> GFG Horns - Accuracy Guaranteed!

Goal horns

Our site gets lots of referrals from people searching for goal horns, probably because of this post about goal horns from a few months back.

A couple more links:

• Something Hockey Is Actually Good For: Goal Horns
• Flyers install new goal horns
  "The Philadelphia Flyers have installed two S-203C air horns, primarily used as navigational signals on the largest ocean-bound ships, to enhance goal celebrations to record-breaking levels inside the Wachovia Center. Once triggered, the sound pressure level will exceed 140dB, producing a powerful, low frequency blast, reminiscent of a cruise ship."

Hockey goal horns

From an EPSN discussion forum, links to goal horns from NHL, AHL, and more.