History of Goal Horns

The tradition of goal horns in the NHL started in 1973. When then Chicago Black Hawks owner Bill Wirtz liked the sound of his yacht's horn so much that he took it off the boat, and installed it underneath the scoreboard at Chicago Stadium for the 1973 Stanley Cup finals against the Montreal Canadiens. While the Hawks lost that series in 7 games, The tradition of the goal horn would prove popular and had become a permanent part of the game day atmosphere by the 1980s.