Stu Cowan: DJ Joel in the house for Canadiens' musical needs

Joel Edmundson still remembers sitting in the back seat of the car on family road trips as a kid and listening to his father, Bob, singing along to Elton John songs.

The Canadiens defenceman figures that’s where his love for music started.

“We always had the music going in the car,” recalled Edmundson, who grew up in Brandon, Man.

Sadly, Bob Edmundson passed away in January of this year at age 61 after battling lung cancer.

Edmundson’s love for music continued to grow as his hockey career progressed, playing four seasons in the WHL with the Moose Jaw Warriors and Kamloops Blazers before turning pro and spending two seasons with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves before making his NHL debut with the St. Louis Blues during the 2015-16 season.

“Just being on the road all the time playing hockey, it’s a nice little escape listening to music,” Edmundson said. “Music just puts you in a good mood and I like to be in a good mood.”

Edmundson has become the Music Man in the Canadiens’ locker room — playing the role of DJ with his variety of playlists whether the team is at the practice rink in Brossard, the Bell Centre or on the road.

How did he get that job?

“I don’t know even know, to be honest,” Edmundson said during a one-on-one chat after the Canadiens held their morning skate Monday in Vancouver. “I did it in St. Louis, I did it in Carolina (with the Hurricanes). In the morning, I’m just one of the first guys (in the locker room) and I just put my tunes on. Guys seem to like it. I got a lot of different playlists and a big variety of music. It all depends on the mood what I want to put on. I get good feedback and I tell the guys I’m open to suggestions if they want to put a song on, go ahead.”

Edmundson’s favourite type of music is country, so he was thrilled to attend the Luke Combs concert at the Bell Centre last month. Edmundson and teammates Nick Suzuki and Brendan Gallagher got to meet Combs backstage and present him with a Canadiens sweater that had his name and No. 22 (Caufield’s number) on the back.

“I’m a huge fan (of Combs),” Edmundson said. “I think our whole team is. There was a bunch of us there. I grew up country, so I’m a big country guy.”

But Edmundson likes all kinds of music, including rap.

“My roommate in St. Louis when I lived with him, he kind of got me into the rap,” Edmundson said. “I’ll play it at different times. I’m not listening to it 24/7. I didn’t grow up with it at all. The younger guys bring it into the locker room now.”

Do the younger guys give Edmundson a hard time about some of his music choices?

“Not at all,” he said. “We’re easygoing. If they want to put a song on they just go up and unlock my phone and put tunes on. We all have the same kind of tastes in music. I try to find new songs every day to surprise the boys with.”

The Canadiens’ theme song this season has become Tom Petty’s I Won’t Back Down and it was blaring in the locker room following Tuesday night’s 4-2 win over the Kraken at Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena.

“That was Cole, actually,” Edmundson said about who suggested that song.

Defenceman Johnathan Kovacevic said he loves Edmundson’s music choices.

“He brings a little bit of everything and he brings a lot of energy,” Kovacevic said in the locker after scoring his first NHL goal in Seattle. “He’s a huge leader for us — on the ice, off the ice. He brings personality, brings flavour. He’s pretty spot on with the music.”

Edmundson said the first album he ever bought was country star Shania Twain. His variety in musical tastes started young and he said some of his other early albums included Taylor Swift, ‘N Sync and the Backstreet Boys.

What’s the best concert he’s seen live?

“Probably The Lumineers (an alternative folk band),” he said. “I saw them about seven years ago in St. Louis and then I actually went again this summer in Vancouver at the rink here. It’s one of my favourite bands. I was able to bring my brother and his fiancée and we came to the concert here this summer and they put on a show.”

What’s on his concert bucket list?

“I definitely want to see Shania,” Edmundson said. “That would be nice. Pearl Jam … there’s a few. It’s all over the place.”

Who is one musician Edmundson would most like to meet in person?

“That’s a good one,” he said. “Maybe Jimmy Buffett. My dad was a huge fan of his and my parents went to his concert before.”

A musical journey from Elton John in the car to Jimmy Buffett in Margarativille.

How cool would that be?

scowan@postmedia.com

twitter.com/StuCowan1

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