Hall & Oates canned after five years as Leafs' goal song

TORONTO — After a five-year run, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Hall & Oates are out of touch.

The pop duo's hit "You Make My Dreams" had been the Maple Leafs goal celebration song for the past five NHL seasons.

Given that the Leafs were reliably among the top-scoring teams over that stretch, fans at Scotiabank Arena were frequently exposed to the upbeat earworm that hit No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1981.

That has come to an end this season, however. When forward Noah Gregor scored the Leafs' first goal of the 2023-24 campaign in Wednesday night's 6-5 shootout win over visiting Montreal, the ensuing jubilation was scored to a version of Kid Cudi's rap hit "Pursuit of Happiness," remixed by DJ Steve Aoki.

While it's an update when compared to the Hall & Oates tune, the Aoki remix of "Pursuit of Happiness" is also a bit long in the tooth. The song will turn 14 in December.

"Pursuit of Happiness" will be the Leafs' main goal celebration song this season, but the team says it plans to use other tracks for Original Six matchups and theme nights.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 12, 2023.