I was sitting in a L.A. airport bar talking hockey with a handful of Australians who actually play when word came that country-folk singer Stompin’ Tom Connors, whose toe-tapping musical spirit and fierce patriotism established him as one of Canada’s biggest cultural icons, had died, at 77. His signature songs, “Sudbury Saturday Night,” ”Bud the Spud” and especially “The Hockey Song,” are played at every Toronto Maple Leafs home game. At Toronto’s Air Canada Centre Wednesday night, many fans took to their feet as “The Hockey Song” was played after Connors’ death was announced. Although wide commercial appeal eluded Connors for much of his four-decade career, his songs are regarded as veritable national anthems thanks to their unabashed embrace of all things Canadiana. On Twitter, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said “we have lost a true Canadian original. R.I.P. Stompin’ Tom Connors. You played the best game that could be played.” The National Hockey League tweeted: “Sad to hear that legendary Canadian Stompin’ Tom Connors has passed. His legacy lives on in arenas every time ‘The Hockey Song’ is played.”