Saskatchewan's Hunter Brothers provide the score for this year's World Juniors
After more than 20,000 votes were tallied, the song Born and Raised by Saskatchewan band The Hunter Brother was chosen as the anthem for the 2019 International Ice Hockey Federation's world junior hockey championship.
"The news was pretty exciting for us as brothers who played hockey in Saskatchewan," said J.J. Hunter, the oldest brother. "We just found out a couple of days ago."
He and his four brothers all grew up on the family farm near Shaunavon and played hockey at various levels.
"It's been truly an honour to have our song chosen," he said. "It really does seem surreal."
Two of the brothers played in the Western Hockey League and three played professionally.
All five still live in the Shaunavon area and continue work on the family farm as they pursue their music career
"Life has changed for us," said Norma Hunter, their mother. "All the boys ended up coming home. Each one of them incurred an injury of some sort that brought them home."
The brothers played Born and Raised this summer at Craven, as well as at a memorial concert earlier this year honouring the Humboldt Broncos.
J.J. Hunter said he hopes the song brings people in the hockey world together.
"To now be part of it in this way is very special," Hunter said. "Thank you to everybody who supported us so much through the voting process. It really has meant a lot and we're really appreciative."
He said watching the World Juniors is a yearly part of celebrating the holidays as a family.
It's one of many Hunter family Christmas traditions.
His mother, Norma Hunter, remembered all the years her boys insisted on sleeping under the Christmas tree, waking up to the smell of her fresh-baked cinnamon buns.
"As the boys got bigger, I tell you we had to push the couches way far into the corners and drag a lot of sleeping bags to all fit underneath that tree," Norma laughed.
She now has nine grandchildren, all under the age of seven.
"The boys still do it with their families now so it's pretty neat," she said.
Norma also said she would insist her sons had to finish practicing piano and guitar before she would allow them to go outside and practice hockey.
She and her husband Lorne wanted their sons to have the musical opportunities they lacked.
She said that some days that meant making two round trips to Swift Current, listening to country music on the radio as she ferried her sons between hockey practices and music lessons.
"I'd take the load of boys over, drop some of them off, bring some of them home after their lesson, and go back and get the rest and bring them home," she said.
"It was just extremely important to me."
At home, southern gospel was a constant soundtrack, she said. Her husband would even put speakers in the boys' rooms, letting them listen to music as they fell asleep.
Now, as she watches her adult sons make inroads in the world of country music, she said she's glad they're staying close to their roots.
"My husband and I had thought we were going to start slowing down a little bit but with the way the music has taken off we've decided that we're not that old yet, we'll just put our boots back on and keep on keeping on," said Norma Hunter.
She said their farm in southwest Saskatchewan will alwyas be home for her boys, no matter where fame takes them.
"The bottom line is we certainly aren't selling the farm," she laughed.
