When David Bowie turned NHL stars into ‘Heroes’ (Video)

David Bowie died on Sunday, and if you’re like me you’ve probably spent the day listening to Ziggy and reading remembrances and considering what this man and his art meant to you and to the world, whether you were there for Life on Mars or if the first time you ever heard Bowie was as a Goblin King.

For all the art he created, “Heroes” remains my favorite song, either by Bowie or any artist. It’s heartbreakingly romantic and defiant, and the crescendo to his hysterical screaming of the final verse has always encapsulated, for me, how love is humanity’s greatest catalyst, for better or worse.

(This may or may not have also been the plot of "Interstellar.")

For these reasons, I tried to avoid listening to it today, lest I become a blubbering puddle of tears. That was until reader Dave Allen reminded us of the brief hockey and Bowie connection.

And like all great things, it existed in EA Sports’ NHL series.

EA Sports used “Heroes” as the intro song for “NHL 99.” Rare is the video game intro that gives you more chills than the actual game, but they might have achieved that in the minute long video roll before the generic rock music kicks in. If nothing else, it’s a celebration of our game’s greatest heroes, like Todd Bertuzzi.

[Crickets]

RIP to Major Tom, Ziggy, Aladdin, The Thin White Duke et al.

UPDATE: Great pull from Erin B., who notes that an entire montage at the NHL Awards in 2000 was set to "Heroes" as sung by a children's choir, complete with "letters" to the players. Tissues, be ready.

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Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.

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