Thomas Kinzel was one of 10 finalists in the contest to write the new theme song for Hockey Night in Canada. Unfortunately, he did not crack the top five.
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By Peter Rusland - Cowichan News Leader and Pictorial
Published: October 05, 2008 6:00 AM
Duncan pianist Thomas Kinzel’s entry into CBC TV’s Hockey Night in Canada Anthem Contest scored in the top 10 amid some 15,000 submissions.
Kinzel and his hometown were named Monday by The Hour’s host George
Stroumboulopoulos during his countdown to the five finalists to be voted on by fans.
Kinzel’s tune is called This is Canada’s Night!
The winning entry will be named and used during the NHL’s Oct. 11 match.
The winning composer earns $100,000 and half the royalties from public use of their tune.
Kinzel doesn’t know if he’ll get a prize for his submission hitting the top 10.
“I’ll probably just get the recognition,” he told the News Leader Pictorial.
“ I actually entered three tunes and the second one got picked. I thought it was my strongest by far.”
Judges include musicians, hockey players, record executives and actor Jason Priestly.
They’re helped by fans voting for the show’s new tune after CBC talks crumbled with the former anthem’s composer whose tune had gained national status from years of use.
“Entries were open-ended and had to be original,” Kinzel, 23, said of entries that could be no longer than a two minutes.
“Reaching the top10 was amazing. About halfway through the competition I pretty much lost all hope of anything happening at 12,000 entries.
“I entered just to see if I could do it. I had nothing to lose.”
German-born Kinzel, who doesn’t play the game, got stoked to enter after hearing Duncan’s giant hockey and stick and puck landed as the world’s largest in the Guinness Book of World records “so I was thinking hockey.”
He’s waiting for the fifth finalist to be named Oct. 4.
“It could be someone from Duncan for all I know.”
Kinzel is assistant producer at the Woodshop Studio between gigs with Eugene Smith, Scott MacGill and Paul Wainwright.
Hockey song sider:
Thomas Kinzel’s entry joins those submitted by other Cowichanians including Lida Rodriguez, James Pender of the Dying Embers band, and a Mill Bay composer.
Pender said his entry was doctored form one he created as a rugby theme song.
“I’d have been honoured to have composed the CBC’s new hockey anthem song and the $100,000 would have helped too,” he said.
The tunes by Kinzel, Rodriguez and Pender can be heard on www.anthemchallenge.cbc.ca.
