Agreed that will help a lot. I just hope we can establish that kind of culture. There's nothing better I dream of than an enormous "TAAAMMMPAAAA BAAAAAYYYYY!" going from one side of the arena to the other during an away team time out. We have that potential and I hope one day we can do it.
Well they're in our division and we're going to face them a lot. Ottawa and Toronto fans are loud too. The worst used to be Buffalo around 2006. They'd get about 6,500 in the building and completely take over while their team would win 6-2. If we beat them they won't take over so much.
We CAN do it. We just have to win consistently and as fans and as a franchise to make a concerted effort to be the loudest building in the NHL. The Seattle Seahawks have taken the 12th man concept to a whole different universe and I think we can do the same. I think a good first step would be to have a team anthem play at the end of victories. I really think it'll bring us all together and grow the kind of culture Mr. Vinik is looking for. I will admit this is not my own idea. Liverpool FC football in the English league is another favorite team of mine and listening to You'll Never Walk Alone before the game is absolutely amazing. When you're at an English Pub and the people next to you are actual Liverpudlians singing next to you, you feel a brotherhood even though you're from different sides of the world. I'm a recent fan but feel like I've been watching my whole life. It's crazy.
I've spent some time thinking about team anthems and I don't see the way to get fans to adopt one in the sense you mean, especially as there's no preexisting culture for it in NA. At any rate, it has to be organic.
I'd contend that the closest thing in the NHL are in-house national anthem singers. We all know who Rene Rancort and Jim Corneilson are and know what narratives the media will frame them with if their team succeeds.
Kate Smith and now Ginette Reno have been short term performers, but are pretty big deals with fans of those teams.
Figure out what's in common with these markets:
Chicago - Jim Corneilson
Detroit - Karen Newman
Pittsburgh - Jim Jimmerson
Philly - Lauren Hart
Edmonton - Paul Lorieau and Oiler Nation
Ottawa - Lyndon Slewidge
Boston - Rene Rancort
Montreal (70's) - Roger Doucet
an individual singer associated with their team.
TB's would be Marshall Gillon & Les Sabler. No one in Lightning history gets the crowd going quite like them or are immediately associated with the team's success. When they're announced, you expect a ****ing win.
Having them every game would do more for establishing the team 'anthem' and culture than trying to force a song onto them.