It really is "All the Small Things" that make life a little happier. Colorado Avalanche fans add some extra joy to home games when the iconic Blink-182 song blasts through the Ball Arena speakers, as thousands sing the tune in unison.
"What a song, right?" Avalanche DJ Craig Turney told NHL.com. "You don't even have to like rock, that song is just one of those feel-good universal tunes that you can't help but sing along to."
Turney's statement hits the nail on the head. "All the Small Things" was released in 1999 but remains quite popular 23 years later. The Avalanche fandom seem to know the words by heart, singing the lyrics even when the audio gets cut short. The song typically gets played during a stoppage in the third period.
Even Blink-182 singer Mark Hoppus is impressed by the fans' cover of his song, describing the ritual as "amazing."
The tradition got rolling during the 2019-20 season when Turney, also referred to as DJ Triple T, heard the song on the radio and decided it could engage Avs fans during home games. The crowd reacted strongly the first time he played it, leading to the fun moment becoming more than a one-time occurrence.
"They just loved it," Turney said. "It was organic. It wasn't staged. Everyone was into it and it was like, 'Wow, OK I think we're really on to something here.'"
The Avs aren't the only sports teams with a signature song. This season, the NBA's Miami Heat embraced "Pepas" by Farruko. In the MLB world, the New York Yankees have a long history of playing the Frank Sinatra classic, "New York, New York."
After Colorado's new tradition got up and running, an unexpected global event almost derailed its momentum. When the COVID-19 pandemic shook the U.S. in 2020, all normalcy went out the window -- the sports world included. To finish its season, the NHL set up a bubble for teams to play in Toronto and Edmonton, but no fans were allowed at the games. Turney felt it was important to keep the tradition alive despite the fans' absence, so he made sure the Avs still heard their anthem while in Edmonton.
"When I sent our playlist of songs to the DJ in the bubble, I gave specific instructions on how and when to play the song," Turney said. "And they did! That was awesome and I think is part of why it became such a special tradition because it has that ability to make you feel like you're there at the game cheering on the Avs even if you aren't."
The song is still a fan favorite to this day, as proven by how loud they sang it on Monday night, when the Avalanche picked up a 4-3 overtime win over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 1 of the 2022 Stanley Cup Final.
The atmosphere at Ball Arena is undoubtedly electric and has likely provided the Avalanche an extra energy boost. Colorado struggled to keep a healthy roster during the 2021-22 campaign, but that didn't stop the team from setting a new franchise record of 56 wins and 119 points during the regular season.
The Avs were undefeated at home for 18 consecutive games from Nov. 3, 2021 through Jan. 30, 2022, good for the fifth-longest home-ice winning streak in NHL history. In their last 36 regular season games, the Avs picked up an impressive 30-3-3 record at Ball Arena.
Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final is set for Saturday at 8 p.m. ET. This will be another home game for the Avalanche, so more Blink-182 is in the forecast.
