Sabres fans celebrate in Buffalo, N.Y., during a game against the Boston Bruins on April 19.Jeffrey T. Barnes/The Associated Press
Hockey fans are among the most dedicated sports supporters, and last night, those in attendance at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo showed up in a big way.
Technical issues preventing singer Cami Clune from successfully completing her performance of the Canadian national anthem ahead of the Buffalo Sabres and Boston Bruins playoff hockey game on April 28 were no match for the audience, who chipped in to assist the singer.
Ms. Clune performed O Canada ahead of The Star Spangled Banner before the Sabres and Bruins game five matchup. After a few notes, her microphone began to cut in and out, preventing fans from hearing the full performance.
Following a short period of silence, the audience could be heard chanting the lyrics “True patriot love, in all of us command.”
As the technical issues persisted, the crowd’s singing appeared to grow louder. Video shots showed crowd members – most clad in Buffalo’s blue and yellow and a few wearing Boston Bruins jerseys – with their caps held to their chests looking into the distance as they continued chanting the anthem.
See the moment singer Cami Clune's mic glitched and hockey fans finished singing the anthem.
The audience cheered ahead of the final verse, and then again as they completed the anthem. Ms. Clune appeared to be given a new, functioning microphone before she began singing The Star Spangled Banner.
Following the performances, Ms. Clune took to social media to thank the crowd for helping her through the technical malfunction.
The gesture was a touching show of support for the red and white, especially against the backdrop of tense U.S.-Canada relations. Two Canadian teams are left in the playoffs – the Montreal Canadiens and the Edmonton Oilers – while the Ottawa Senators were swept by the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round, and the Toronto Maple Leafs failed to earn a spot.
Canadian hockey fans voiced their appreciation on social media. “As a Canadian it was heartwarming to hear and feel Buffalo belt out the last half of the anthem. We’re loving this run by the Sabres,” said one user on X.
“As a fellow Canadian, thank you to the Buffalo Sabres fan base for being very classy and cool. Hockey fans are the best,” wrote another poster on X.
Online, some fans questioned why the Canadian national anthem was performed in the absence of a Canadian team in the matchup. The tradition, widely understood to have begun during the Sabres’ inaugural 1970 season, is said to be due to Buffalo’s close proximity to the Canadian border and the large grouping of Canadian ticketholders.
It’s not the first time fans have helped remedy technical issues during the national anthem. In 2023, before a Sabres and Maple Leafs matchup at Toronto’s Scotiabank arena, the audience came to anthem singer Natalie Morris’ rescue as she grappled with a malfunctioning microphone during her rendition of The Star Spangled Banner.