Playoff song creators shrug off hateful trolls

The trolls, when they came, arrived with their usual hate. But when Vancouver Canucks goalkeeper Thatcher Demko went down with a series-ending injury after Game 1, the trolls' more unpleasant cousins — the racists — came out with a fury, and their vitriol was directed straight at Jovan Heer and Ali Monir.

The duo — known professionally as DJ Heer and A.S.M — had collaborated on a song for the Canucks' playoff run: Game Night. The social media sewage rolled over them like a wave.

“People love the song. They love the beat. It's just the jinx,” said Heer, a well-known DJ who has performed for the B.C. Lions, Vancouver Whitecaps and Canucks before.

“The jinx is throwing off the support. But if the team does well, I think it will go big. I think it will have the potential for sure.

“(The hate) wasn't really a shock because I kind of knew some of it was coming. I didn't expect the racism to the level that has come.”

Heer, a lifelong Canucks fan, remained philosophical. Best to ignore the haters.

“We're just trying to avoid the hate and try to be as positive as we can,” he said. “They're hiding behind the egg profiles, but it's never their real photo, right?”

Besides, there's always the next target. Heer got the blame for Demko. Others had the bull's-eye painted on them after Demko's replacement had a mediocre outing in his stead.

“B.C. Hockey Shop, they did a post about Casey Desmith, so I think they might get some of the blame now, too,” Heer said, laughing.

Heer and Monir's song isn't the first Canucks song to be mocked, but it's one of the rare originals. Most of the past tracks have been parodies or covers of existing songs with Canucks-themed lyrics woven in.

But there are a few that have separated themselves from the pack.

The peak was in 2011. We had Terell Safari's Black Red Yello — a remix of Wiz Khalifa's Black and Yellow — that blew up, and How the West Was One by Kyprios and Swollen Members alum Rob the Viking. Both got radio play, and both were adopted by the Canucks, who invited them to perform their songs live.

In 2020, Nanaimo's Darcy Mcbride — a.k.a. rapper Details — dropped Team Like That, a well-received track that he also performed live at Rogers Arena, and ultimately led to him being the team's in-game crowd engagement host for a year.

The throwback folks will remember the 45 that came out in 1982 during the Canucks' run to the Stanley Cup.

The record, A Salute to the Canucks by King Richard's Army, featured Steam's Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye and was a tribute to Richard Brodeur, the Canucks' legendary goaltender.

Finally, a couple of honourable mentions are in order. They include: The former Pass it to Bulis bloggers Daniel Wagner and Harrison Mooney for Holding Out For Bonino; Clay Imoo and Marie Hui's Under John Tortorella; and, the legendary Heavy Eric's It's Called the Todd Bertuzzi.

So will there be another collaboration from Heer and A.S.M in the future?

“I think we'll see how the team does,” said Heer. “If they do well, we'll definitely think about doing another one. But if it's a first-round exit, then I think we'll be one and done.”