Olé Olé Olé, Explained, Explained

If you're a Habs fan, chances are you love it. And if you're not, you probably say it's "Sooo Gay, sooo gay, so gay, so gay". You get the drift, it's the Habs upper level anthem, also known as Olé Ole.

It got me to thinking though, how did the tradition start? When did it start? There isn't much definitive proof on when it started, but I know it's a fairly recent thing. Back in the early 90's, the Habs produced what they hoped to be a crowd sing-a-long in the form of "Les Canadiens Sont La". That tune is still sung at games, but it tends to only be in the last minute or two of a victorious effort, and it always needs to be pre-cursored by a video and audio prompt on the scoreboard during a stoppage of play.

My personal theory? The Ole Ole was a chant that could easily be sung when Habs fans were in a happy state and it's not French, nor English. Everybody gets it, everyone knows the lyrics, it's easy, it's catchy. And sure it may sound goofey, but let me ask you this - if you're not a Habs fan, what do YOUR teams' fans do that's unique at their games?

Hockey is a sport that lacks unique crowd traditions. Other than the Red Wings playoff octopus throw, and the Panthers rat attack which have both been outlawed by the NHL since, there really aren't many others to think of. Perhaps Calgary's "C of red" during their playoff runs, but again - all these things are just playoff things.

I for one, love the Ole Ole. Though most opposing fans and broadcasters alike (wrongly) think it's a victory song, it is nothing of the sort. People seem to forget the Habs victory song is "Na Na Na", another tradition started by you guessed it - the Habs upper level choir. In the mean time, I'll leave you with a video of how awesome it can sound in full force.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=beWKml7IlPA