Warm-up music sets the tone for the whole game. The players are stepping on the ice, the stands are filling up, and for the next few minutes the rink sounds like whatever you play. Unlike a goal song, a warm-up song has to carry a mood for minutes at a time, and it has to be clean all the way through, not just in the chorus. Here are 30 picks that work through a rink PA, grouped by style and age, all clean.
What makes a great warm-up song.
- A steady, driving beat. Players skate laps and run drills to it. Songs that stop and start, or open with a long quiet intro, lose the room.
- Clean from start to finish. A goal song plays for twenty seconds. A warm-up song often plays all the way through, so the second verse matters as much as the hook.
- Builds energy, doesn't peak too early. Save your biggest song for the last minute before the puck drops.
- Something for the parents too. A mix of eras keeps the stands with you. A classic rock anthem next to a new hit works better than either on its own.
Arena classics, all ages.
The songs you hear in pro rinks before puck drop. Everyone in the building knows them.
Big pump-up anthems.
Modern songs about effort and winning. Players know the words, and the lyrics fit the moment.
For younger teams, U7 to U11.
Bright, happy and familiar. Younger players skate faster to songs they can sing.
For older teams, U13 to U18.
Teenagers want it to sound like a real arena: bigger drops and harder beats, still clean.
Country, for country teams.
In plenty of rinks, country is the dressing room's music. These keep the tempo up.
Punk and ska, fast and loud.
Hockey and punk go back a long way. Short, fast songs that sound great in a cold rink.
How to build a warm-up playlist.
- Pick by your team's taste. Choose two or three of the styles above, not all of them. A playlist with a clear sound feels like home ice.
- Have more songs than you need. If the ice is late, warm-up runs long, and a repeat is the first thing the stands notice.
- Build to the end. Start steady while the players come out, and finish on your biggest song.
- Leave room for the lineup. If you announce the starting lineup, lower the music under each name so every player is heard.
- Test it on the PA. Some songs that sound great in headphones turn to mud in a rink. Play a minute of each at practice.
The same lists work for ringette warm-ups. For the rest of the game, see the best goal songs for youth sports and how to run music at a youth hockey game.
Let Sideline DJ handle it.
Every song on this page is in Sideline DJ's warm-up list, which has more than 150 clean songs in the genres teams choose from, played through Apple Music. Tap Warm-Up Music and songs play back to back until puck drop, with Pause, Resume and Next Song. Your team's own warm-up songs play first. Then Lineup announces the players who are here tonight, with music underneath or names only. See the hockey game screen.