So maybe you’re a freshman and you wanna be a member of the Lynah Faithful but you don’t know where to start. Or, perhaps you are a Section B’er too embarrassed to admit you don’t know when to break out your keys in the 3rd. Or, maybe you are a returning alum wanting a refresher. Well, you’ve come to the right place. [credit to John Hayes ’98 and ’00 for the original “Cheers Page”]
- Before the Game
- General Purpose Cheers
- Player Specific Cheers
- Goalie Cheers
- Other Taunts
- Songs
- End of Game/After the Game
Before the Game
Boring
When the opposing team is introduced, the Faithful rattle newspapers and chant Boooriiing, Boooriiing. When Arthur Mintz ’71, our beloved announcer, says “And now the starting line up for the Big Red”, crumple up your newspaper and throw it on the ice. At away games, never throw anything on the ice; instead, throw the crumpled papers at the other Faithful!
- Variation 1 (Against Harvard): Throw your fish onto the ice when Harvard players first come onto the ice. (You did buy a fish for this purpose at Wegman’s, didn’t you?)
- Variation 2 (Against Colgate): Throw empty boxes of Colgate onto the ice. You might want to weigh down the box so it throws farther. Make sure to take the toothpaste out first.
Canadian National Anthem
English:
O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all of us command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
Our True North strong and free!
From far and wide, O Canada!
We stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
French:
O Canada!
Terre de nos ai eux
Ton front est ceint
De fleurons glorieux
Car ton bras sait porter L’epe-e-e
Il said porter la croix
Ton histoire est une epope-e-e. Des plus brillants exploits
Et ta valeur de foi trempee
Protegera nos foyers et nos droits
Protegera nos foyers et nos droits
American National Anthem
Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn’s early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets’ RED *1 glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night {SUCK}*2 that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
*1 – crowd shouts RED
*2 – Used only when playing the Clarkson Golden Knights
General Purpose Cheers
Let’s Go Red!
A useful cheer whenever Lynah is a little too quiet for the liking of Section B. Also used after an opponent scores, to let the guys on the ice know that we still have Faith in them.
Kill, Schafer, Kill
Cornell’s coach, Mike Schafer was a Big Red defenseman from ’82 to ’86. During his playing days, fans would chant ‘Kill Schafer Kill’ when he was on the ice. Now that the only fighting he does is with the refs, the Faithful use this chant when whenever Mike has a discussion with the officials.
Fight! Maim! Kill!
When the Pep Band plays Mary had a Little Lamb, the crowd responds with Fight! after the first line, Maim! after the second, Kill! after the third, and Fight! Maim! Kill! after the final line.
Cowbell
Halfway through the 2nd and again halfway through the 3rd, the cowbell is played and the crowd yells Fight! at the appropriate points. For more information, visit the Cowbell page.
Player Specific Cheers Underbone (formerly The Underhill Song)
Sung to The Underdog Theme:
They come and skate with goals in need
We fight, maim, kill, and make them bleed
But mighty {GOALIE FIRST NAME} his team will lead!
To make the save with blinding speed
Comes {GOALIE LAST NAME}, {GOALIE LAST NAME}, {GOALIE LAST NAME}, {GOALIE LAST NAME}!
Glove of lightning
Stick of thunder
Robbing all who shoot asunder
{GOALIE LAST NAME}, {GOALIE LAST NAME}, {GOALIE LAST NAME}.
Song #7
When the Pep Bands plays song #7, the crowd responds with “Abbotts!” In the past, the crowd would yell Auger, for former Cornellian Vinny Auger, then McRaes, for former Cornellians Mark and Matt McRae, and now, for better or worse, has continued with the twins theme with Abbotts.
Hey, Bâby!
The band plays Hey Baby as the fans chant along “Hey, Hey Bâby… I want to know …. Will you kill someone” for two verses. The crowd repeats the two verses after the band stops playing.
Goalie Cheers | Taunts
Goalie | Sieve
Lest he forgot, the Faithful must remind the opposing goalie that while we have a GoalieTM, he is merely a Sieve. Point to our goalie and yell “Goalie!” then point to theirs and yell “Sieve!” and repeat.
- Variation 1: Good Goalie / Bad Goalie
- Variation 2: Goalie / Sieve / Post – Used when the opposing goalie gets lucky and the puck dings off a post.
- Variation 3: (Deprecated) Elliott/Idiot, Duffus/Doofus – Former Cornell Goalies include former Phoenix Coyote Parris Duffus and Detroit Red Wing Jason Elliott. Some have suggested that this chant return as Underhill/Underskilled.
It’s All Your Fault
After the opposing goalie allows a goal, the Faithful kindly remind him that the blame rests solely on his shoulders. At this point, the crowd then counts up to the number of goals that have been allowed, and announces that ‘We Want More’. Finally, the goalie is repeatedly reminded that, in fact, he is merely a Sieve.
Telephone Cheer
At an appropriate time, one member of the Faithful announces, “Hey {GOALIE’s FIRST NAME}, your Mom called. She said, “…” At this point, the crowd finishes with, “YOU SUCK!” This is usually followed by additional improvised ‘calls’ “Hey {GOALIE’s FIRST NAME}, so-and-so called, and s/he said, …you get it!
Black Hole
One thought it went without saying that this taunt is not to be used in the 1st Period, nor if the opposing goalie currently has a shutout. However, some years has taught us that this is not is not self-apparent. ‘SomeGuy’ in the back of Section B just doesn’t seem to get it. Friends don’t let friends be ‘SomeGuy’!
Hey, {GOALIE’s FIRST NAME}, you’re not not a goalie, you’re a sieve.
You’re not a sieve, you’re a funnel.
You’re not a funnel, you’re a vacuum.
You’re not a vacuum, you’re a black hole.
You’re not a black hole, YOU JUST SUCK!
Remote Control Goalie
During stoppages in play, some visiting goalies like to venture out of the crease to stretch a bit. With some goalies this action becomes a little ritualistic, like a dog circling 3 times before he lies down to sleep. With this in mind, the Faithful treat the visiting goalie as their own little marionette, describing the actions the visiting goalie is taking.. i.e.. Skate, skate, skate, tuuuuuurrrnn, skate, skate, glide, stop etc. In keeping with the homoerotic overtones inherent in college hockey, this sequence always ends a rousing shout of Bend Over!
Occasionally, opposing goalies will actually respond to this taunting as evidenced by sudden changes in direction or speed in an attempt to catch the Faithful saying the wrong thing. In general, this is exactly what the Faithful want, for if the visiting goalie is focusing on the crowd, he isn’t focused on the game. This is best evidenced by the empty net goal scored against Dartmouth’s Nick Boucher during his freshman year. While Boucher was busily thrusting his crotch at Section B, Cornell’s David Adler put the puck into the empty net from atop the red line.
{GOALIE} is a Great Big Sieve
Sung to Mary Had A Little Lamb:
{GOALIE’s FIRST NAME} is a great big sieve.
Great Big Sieve.
Great Big Sieve.
{GOALIE’s FIRST NAME} is a great big sieve.
He let the puck go by X times.
We want Weder
Matt Weder was the 2nd string goalie for Colgate in 1996. When the Faithful feel the starting goalie has been punished enough, we let it be known that “We want Weder!” Not heard much anymore … bring it back!!
Gimme!
Gimme an L. L! Gimme an A. A! Gimme an I. I! Gimme an N. N! Gimme a G. G! What’s that spell? SIEVE! What’s that spell? SIEVE! What’s that spell? SIEVE! SIEVE! SIEVE!
Like the {SCHOO-OOL} Sucks cheer, a loud individual takes it upon him or herself to spell the opposing goalie’s name. The crowd then provides the appropriate backing vocals: Hey, {GOALIE’s LAST NAME}, you’re an embarrassment to the {SCHOOL} hockey program and {SCHOOL} hockey sucks!”
Other Taunts — Self-explanatory
Welcome to the Penalty Box
Used to welcome an opposing player to the penalty box, this cheer is immediately followed by a “Let’s Go Red” chant. As common sense should dictate, don’t use this cheer for offsetting penalties:
Ahhhhhh! See ya! … You Goon!*
*Mike Schafer (and Cornell Athletics) reminds fans that swearing/cursing/foul language may be cause for ejection from Lynah Rink! Lynah Rink should be really loud but perhaps more family friendly 🙂
{SCHOO-OOL} Sucks!
One brave, loudmouthed individual yells the name of our opponent. The rest of the crowd then joins in with “SUCKS!” This is repeated 3 times. Upon completion, the brave individual then yells “Let’s Go Red!” This cheer is particularly difficult against RPI as tradition dictates the entire name be yelled.
Safety school
The crowd chants “Safety school” repeatedly. Funny against Harvard, Yale, and Princeton due to the absurdity of the cheer as those are damn fine schools. Not as funny against schools that were safety schools for the average Cornellian.
Section O Sucks
The crowd chants “Section O sucks!” repeatedly while pointing at Section O. Some schools actually dare bring fans into Lynah. When the visitors in Section O get too uppity, we remind them that they suck. While this is a very traditional cheer … and should continue … many visitors sit elsewhere in the rink and some Cornell Fans sit in Section O. When you see a lot of visitors in “O” … fair game!
Scoreboard
Another cheer to use when opposing fans get uppity. As common sense dictates, you only use this if we have a big lead.
I’m blind. I’m deaf. I wanna be a ref!
Chanted repeatedly when an official misses a blatant call.
Tuba Section Serenade
In the middle of the 3rd period, the Tuba section of the Pep Band (yes – we know they are really Sousaphones) hoof it all the way from Section A to the aisle behind the opponent’s bench. They play:”OVER THERE”. At the first pause, the crowd yells, “Hey {SCHOOL}!” At the second pause, “Die!” At the third, yell “Drop Dead!” And at the end, “*Go home!” At an away game or in the first of a two-game home set against one team, replace with “You suck!”
Gonna Fly Now/Gary Glitter
At the end of the 2nd Intermission, the Pep Band plays a little ditty known as Gonna Fly Now (from Rocky), then switches to Gary Glitter. Start clapping along. At the appropriate points in the music, where the crowd traditionally chants “Hey!” instead point to the opposing goalie and yell “Sieve!” This is done three times, then Faithful chime in with “We’re gonna beat the hell outta you! Rough ’em up! Toughen up! Go CU!” Gary Glitter is done twice, with the appropriate chants. For unknown reason, since the 1998-99 season, the band has often been cut short by the dropping of the puck. When this happens, the Faithful frequently need to finish the song a cappella. However, if the band does get through the song twice, resist the urge to sing along with the face-timers around you who will invariably try for a 3rd chorus.
Screw BU, {SCHOOL} too.
When the band plays the appropriate song, the crowd follows it with “Screw BU! {SCHOOL} too!” This is done twice. At first glance, this cheer makes no sense. Only with some historical perspective does it become clear. Prior to 1985, Boston University was our archival in the ECAC as the two schools were the perennial contenders for the the ECAC Title. However, the rivalry disappeared when BU, along with BC, Maine, Northeastern, Providence, and UNH fled the ECAC to start Hockey East.
Hey, {SCHOOL}! It’s 10:00/Friday Night
When Cornell is soundly trouncing its opponent, near the end of the game the crowd chants: “Hey {SCHOOL}! It’s ten PM! Do you know where your goalie is?” (This has become less common with 7:00 pm games on Friday and Saturday, but it still sometimes happens. Ten pm is sometimes replaced by 9pm for those early games.)
When there are less than 3 minutes left in a game and Cornell is winning and shutting out the opposing team, the crowd chants: “Hey {SCHOOL}! It’s [Friday/Saturday] night and YOU CAN’T SCORE!”
8 Goal Cheer
This one’s really rare, especially as of late, but it’s worth mentioning. The Pep Band lives for it, so even though everyone will forget to do it, at least you’ll appear knowledgeable when everyone starts asking what they just said…”2! 4! 6! 8! Our team is really great! 1! 1! 1! 1! Pretty pathetic, isn’t it?” (2 or 3 opponent goals is OK, but probably not more than that.)
Double Digits
Since we’re talking rare, we can’t leave out the 10-goal “Dou-ble Dig-its! (clap. clap. clap-clap-clap)” cheer.
Songs
Alma Mater
The Alma Mater was written by Archibald C. Weeks 1872 and his roommate Wilmot M. Smith 1874, who set the verses to the ballad “Lovely Annie Lisle.” Cornell University is believed to be the first to use this melody for their Alma Mater. The first two verses are sung arm in arm between the 2nd and 3rd periods. At the last home game of the season, all six verses are sung.
Far above Cayuga’s waters
With its waves of blue
Stands our noble Alma Mater
Glorious to view
Lift the chorus
Speed it onward
Loud her praises tell
Hail to thee our Alma Mater
Hail, all hail, Cornell!
Far above the busy humming
Of the bustling town
Reared against the arch of heaven
Looks she proudly down
Lift the chorus
Speed it onward
Loud her praises tell
Hail to thee our Alma Mater
Hail, all hail, Cornell!
My Old Cornell
Alumni Song
This song for alumni, “My Old Cornell” is actually only the refrain of the original song penned by Will Dillon ’17.
Oh, I want to go back to the old days,
Those good old days on the hill.
Back to my Cornell, For that’s where they all yell,
Cornell, I yell, Cornell. (Cornell!)
Far above Cayuga’s waters I hear those chiming bells.
Oh, I’m longing and yearning and always returning to my old Cornell.
“The New Cornell Fight Song”
by the late Cornell Professor Emeritus Marice Stith and arranged by Phil Krasicky PhD ’80
C-O-R-N-E double L
Win the game and then ring the bell
What’s the big intrigue?
We’re the best in the Ivy League*
Rah! Rah! Rah!
Score the point that puts us ahead
Knock ’em dead Big Red.
One! Two! Three! Four!
Who are we for?
Can’t you tell?
Ooooo-oooold Cornell!
*In other league games replace “Ivy League” with “ECAC”
Give My Regards to Davy
The official fight song of Cornell University, written by Charles Tourison, Class of 1905, and sung to “Give My Regards to Broadway.” It is sung by a freshman (‘piker’) to Registrar Davy Hoy 1891 and Professor “Tee Fee” Thomas Crane about getting “busted” out of school for drinking too much. The second, unofficial verse is from the Lamda Chi Alpha songbook and apparently refers to an attempt under former Cornell President Deane Malott to ban room parties in fraternities in the 1950s. I did not even know there was a 2nd verse until I started researching the origins of the song.
Give my regards to Davy, remember me to Tee Fee Crane.
Tell all the pikers on the hill that I’ll be back again.
Tell them of how I busted, lappin’ up the high high ball.
We’ll all have drinks at Theodore Zinck’s when I get back next fall.
Give my regards to Ezra, remember me to Andy White.
Tell all the virgins on the hill that I’ll be back some night.
Tell them just how I licked it, lappin’ up the brew at Jim’s.
We’ll all take shots at Deane Malott’s when I get back again.
Schafer Beer Song
In case you live in a cave, former Big Red defensemen Mike Schafer ’86 is the head coach of the Cornell men’s ice hockey team. Some of the bandies decided at some point that it should be the official victory song of Big Red Hockey.
Schafer is the one beer to have
When you’re having more than one.
Schafer’s pleasure doesn’t fade
Even when your thirst is done.
The most rewarding flavor
In this man’s world.
For people who are having fun, fun, fun, fun….
Schafer is the one beer to have
When you’re having more than one.
Alternate lyrics referring to Coach Schafer
Schafer is the one coach to have
When your hockey team’s just won.
Schafer’s pleasure doesn’t fade
Even when the game is done
The most rewarding coach* in the ECAC
For people who are having fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun!
Schafer is the one coach to have
When your hockey team’s just won.
*Alternately, “feeling”
Underdog Lyrics
When in this world the headlines read
Of those whose hearts are filled with greed
Who rob and steal from those in need
To right this wrong with blinding speed
Goes Underdog! Underdog! Underdog! Underdog!
Speed of lightning, roar of thunder
Fighting all who rob or plunder
Underdog. Underdog!
Alternate lyrics
When criminals in this world appear
And break the laws that they should fear
And frighten all who see or hear
The call goes up both far and near
For Underdog! Underdog! Underdog! Underdog!
Speed of lightning, roar of thunder
Fighting all who rob or plunder
Underdog. Underdog!
End of the Game / After the Game
Go Start the Bus
In the final minutes of a blowout, the Faithful will begin to jingle their keys. After 45 seconds or so of key jingling, the crowd will then begin to chant ‘Go Start the Bus.’ Invariably, some face-timer will start to jingle their keys waaaay to early. So then, how does a true member of the Faithful know when to get out their keys? Its really pretty easy; you start when there are X minutes left in the game where X is a goal differential greater than 2. That having been said, jingling your keys for more than 5 minutes is just plain annoying.
Variation 1: {Opposing Goalie’s Name} drives the bus
Variation 2 (Against Army): Go Start the Tank
Variation 3 (Against Harvard): Go Start the Caaaaaaah.
Variation 4 (Against Canadian teams): Go Start the bus, eh?
Six Point Weekend
On Saturday night, during the final minutes of the game, or immediately following the game, the Faithful use this chant to let the opposition know that we appreciate them and their travel partner coming to Lynah to improve our place in the standings.
- If the opponent lost to Colgate the night before and we beat their travel partner, this cheer becomes “6 point Weekend. No point weekend
- Against truly bad teams, this cheer can become “4 point weekend. X point season” where X is a very small number.
Which Team is the Winning Team?
Traditionally this cheer was initiated by the most dedicated of the Faithful who would stand up against the glass in front of B and lead the cheer. This distinction was far more clear in the days prior to the ticket lottery as this individual had shown his or her dedication by camping out for tickets the longest. Alas, following the Great Ticket Riot, the lottery system was implemented.
Oh yeah… the cheer is “Which team is the Winning Team? This team is the winning team! Which team is the losing team? This team is the losing team! Winning Team! Winning Team! Losing Team! Losing Team! Winning Team! Winning Team! Losing Team! Losing Team!”
Don’t leave yet…
While not a cheer per se, Keith Kannenberg ’93 ’96 ’98, suggested that a note about the team stick salute after the game. Before leaving the ice, the team gathers at center ice and raises their sticks, saluting the Faithful. The crowd tends to stay put until this occurs.
Definitions
sieve \Sieve\, n.1. a device full of holes by which a coarse material may be separated from a finer material 2. the opposing goalie.
face-time \Face Time\, v. 1. the act of going to a large crowded place for the sole purpose of being seen.
face-timer n. 1. one who engages in face-time. 2. one who views hockey games merely as something to do before going out after the game.