Buffalo Belts Out O Canada!

'The City of Good Neighbors' lives up to billing.

Image by Freddie01 from Pixabay

There was a nice throwback to the old friends-with-benefits days between Canada and the US last week when hockey fans spontaneously burst into the Canadian anthem before a first-round playoff tilt between the Buffalo Sabres and visiting Boston Bruins.

Anthem singer Cami Clune’s mic began cutting out immediately, and the packed KeyBank Center crowd gamely filled in for her even without the benefit of a bouncing karaoke ball to remind people of the words. This sort of thing has happened before but it’s the first since things went pear-shaped between the two countries thanks to the lunatic mob boss in the Oval Office and drew a lot of media attention in a world desperate for a feelgood story.

“The response from the crowd brought me to silent tears,” said Sabres scion Seymour Knox IV, the son of team founder Seymour Knox III, in a post-game interview with The Athletic. “I think it was one of the highlights in the 30 years of the arena.”

The Buffalo News reported “the moment seemed to have pierced a soft spot among citizens on both sides of the border, all too happy to have seen a little moment of harmony entre amis,” while TMZ went with “it was like a choir was brought in to perform ... and it’s honestly goosebump-worthy.” Even Fox News joined in, calling the surprise singalong “very cool” and “the neighborly thing to do” after reminding viewers of the time mean, ungrateful Canadians booed “The Star-Spangled Banner” during the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament last year.

Star-Spangled Banner Booed By Patriots

Never mind that a lot of them were probably carrying Canadian passports.

You might be wondering why anyone would sing “O Canada” in the first place before a game between two domestic American teams. Great question! It’s not simply out of respect because our players tend to make up the bulk of any given NHL roster.

The Buffalo Sabres are the only North American sports franchise outside of Canada where the anthem is played regardless of what team they’re facing, a tradition that dates back to joining the league in 1970 and born out of the marketing necessity to attract a fan base in a city located just a slapshot across the border. The British spelling for the word “sabers” was chosen specifically with Ontario customers in mind after rejecting potential names like the Mugwumps, the Buzzing Bees, or the Flying Zeppelins, which might’ve been a bit too on-the-nose given their Hindenburg-level success in winning a Stanley Cup in more than half a century.

I remember the CBC doing a segment on southern Ontario hockey fans who were backing the Sabres during a series against the Toronto Maple Leafs back in 1999, which seemed vaguely treasonous at the time but it’s hard to blame them when the arena is closer, the tickets and beer are cheaper, and the vibe is more blue-collar than in the Big Smoke. The team doesn’t release data on the nationalities of season ticket holders but some estimates put it as high as one in four from across the border before Trump got back in.

It also goes without saying some of the Canucks in the stands that night came to cheer for Boston, especially as Toronto area residents rarely have the opportunity to watch an Original Six team play in the post-season. But the Leafs don’t exactly hold the same place in our glowing hearts and minds as Team Canada despite all the maple leaves on the jerseys, and even Gord Downie — the unofficial patron saint of Canadiana — was a Bruins guy.

Anyone hoping to enjoy “O Canada” sung before a home team in the playoffs will have to make do for now with the Montreal Canadiens, who have a do-or-die Game 7 today in Tampa. Lightning rarely strikes twice, but if there is another audio issue, at least there’ll at least be plenty of tone-deaf snowbirds in the stands who’ll know all the words.

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[New York Times / TMZ / Wonkette Blueskies]