Caps are Rocking Out to a New Song in the Verizon Center

The Washington Capitals have a new goal song.

It's a great highlight reel song. A decent intro song.

Not a good goal song.

Before we get any further, let me say that I'm not trying to hate on the effort of the Sandbox Kings, who won a contest through Elliot in the Morning on DC101 (favorite morning show in the area, btw) with "Rock the Red." The song premiered at last night's Caps-Lightning game, where it was played five times, after each Caps goal.

It's a great song, but not for the purpose to which it has been applied.

Why isn't it a good goal song? Because even though it played over the PA system five times, most Caps fans were hard pressed to notice it more than once.

I'm no music critic, but a goal is a celebration and the music that plays should be celebratory and upbeat. "ock the Red is too subdued, not - dare I say - poppy enough.

Now I will say this, Rock the Red is unique, and great for the Caps for commissioning their own music. It's a lot better than the umpteen arenas that some variation of Rock 'n Roll Part 2, Song 2, or Bro Hymn after a home goal.

My personal favorite goal song is Chelsea Dagger, which the Caps used for a little while but is also associated closely with the Chicago Blackhawks. Another favorite is Kernkraft 400, but almost a half-dozen teams rely on that one, also including the Capitals recently.

The great part of Chelsea Dagger and Kernkraft 400 is that you don't need a three minute song, you only need 15 or 20 seconds of a great hook, and both songs have one. Ditto with Joe Satriani's Crowd Chant.

It's that catchy quality, the sing-along nature of a song, that makes it popular and makes it stick. Occasionally a down-tempo song gets stuck in your ear, but they aren't inspiring.

Washington needs a goal song that pumps fans up, gets noticed and gets fans singing or chanting along, not one that slips into the background. In a different setting, when all attention is focused on the video or music being played, "Rock the Red" does just fine.

After a goal though, the music needs to add to the cacophany while still cutting through enough for fans to be cognizant of it, and if you ask me the Caps need to do a little more searching to find a song (or soundbite, let's be honest) to fill that role.

What do you think the Caps should use as a goal song? Post in the comment section with your suggestions.