Buffalo Sabres fans stepped in to save ‘O Canada,’ raising the bar on what anthems are about
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Shane Doan stood beside his wife in KeyBank Center on Tuesday night and hoped the world noticed what was unfolding.
The Buffalo Sabres were one victory away from eliminating the Boston Bruins in Game 5 and advancing in the postseason for the first time since 2007. But that wasn’t the moment that had Doan gobsmacked. Nor did it have anything to do with his son, Sabres forward Josh Doan, skating in his first Stanley Cup playoff series.
Shane Doan, the 402-goal scorer and Olympian from the Alberta prairie, was in awe before the game began. Seconds into “O Canada,” national anthem singer Cami Clune’s microphone malfunctioned. A dutiful crowd of 19,070 — Shane and Andrea Doan included — rushed to her aid with a full-throated, word-for-word reinforcement.
“With all the things in the world we’re bombarded with, somebody, please, make a big deal out of this,” Doan recalled thinking. “People always are so quick to point out the things that separate us, and realistically there isn’t much.
“You hoped that people understood how special it was.”
Amid cross-border tensions that have included U.S. tariffs and rhetoric mocking Canada’s sovereignty, what happened in Buffalo was rejuvenating.
The eager audience took over from the third line, which begins “True patriot love,” as Clune’s microphone cut in and out. She continued to sing until the end, although the mic mostly went silent around the first “We stand on guard for thee.” Seemingly aware of the significance, the fans’ chorus grew louder.
“The response from the crowd brought me to silent tears,” said Seymour Knox IV, watching from his usual perch. “I think it was one of the highlights in the 30 years of the arena.”
Knox’s father and uncle, Seymour Knox III and Northrup Knox, co-founded the Sabres in 1970. They chose to spell it that way to conform to the Old English style used in Canada. The Knoxes also wanted both national anthems played before every home game — even if the opponent was a U.S. team — to honor Canadian players and fans.
Fifty-five years later, Sabres fans know the words to “O Canada” almost as easily as “Happy Birthday.”
What added to the gravitas Tuesday night was that it raised the bar on what national anthems should be. Recent geopolitical turbulence has caused fans to react boorishly. At last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off, fans in Montreal booed “The Star-Spangled Banner,” causing fans in Boston to boo “O Canada” in response.
But not in Buffalo, known as “The City of Good Neighbors.” Besides, it’s practically a Toronto suburb, with Canadian television and radio stations penetrating the airwaves. Labatt Blue is considered a domestic beer. Tim Hortons is as common as McDonald’s.
“The beauty of what happened is that it was completely spontaneous and was all about helping somebody out,” said Buffalo State history and social sciences education chair Andrew Nicholls. The Midland, Ont., native teaches British, Canadian and European history.
“Having lived here for 30 years, this is kind of the equivalent of 19,000 people pulling over in a snowstorm to help somebody whose car is stuck in a snowbank. That’s just what people here do.”
Nobody should assume Canadians comprised a disproportionate share of the singers.
The Buffalo Bills and Sabres do draw multitudes over the border. Toronto is within the NFL’s 75-mile radius that determines a club’s home territory. That puts around 21 percent of Canada’s population within the Bills’ designated market.
But resentment toward U.S. politicians who talk about annexing Canada to make it the 51st state and fears about the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have reduced tourism — even to watch the Canadian pastime in person. Buffalo has long been a destination for hockey fans who can’t afford Toronto Maple Leafs tickets, who follow the Original Six or who want to see national icons such as Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid.
“Usually, when the Bruins play in Buffalo, I see a ton of Ontario license plates,” said lifelong Sabres fan and Financial Post columnist Garry Marr. “We had one car in front of us at the Rainbow Bridge on Tuesday night. There are no Canadians coming over right now.
“Those were all Americans singing the national anthem. It’s pretty unbelievable.”
There certainly were some Canadians in attendance, but even if the broadcast crews cared one iota about KeyBank Center’s demographics, they didn’t have time for a census.
The moment Clune’s microphone sputtered, producers for the national and local feeds leaned into a moment that lasted 64 seconds.
Not every broadcast shows national anthems, but the Sabres’ in-house broadcasts have long done so. Turner Sports emphasizes NHL national anthems because of the energy they convey. The only time Turner Sports doesn’t televise the anthems is when game coverage from different time slots overlaps.
“There is an amazing amount of pride from the players and fans who sing it,” Turner Sports vice president John O’Connor said. “The excitement right before, the anthems themselves and the energy coming off the anthems, that crazy excitement going into the game provides an atmosphere that feels like you’re in the building.”
In the production truck outside the arena, Sabres broadcast director Matt Gould quickly diverted from his usual close-up shots of the players’ intense expressions. Instead, he filled the screen with scenes of the singing crowd. Turner Sports director John Tackett and producer Kevin Brown took a similar tack, letting the unscripted moment take over.
Clune was given a replacement microphone for the American anthem, but the crowd kept its momentum. Knox said the a cappella “O Canada” was louder, while Gould noted “The Star Spangled-Banner” still hit a higher decibel level than normal.
Another local singer, a Canadian watching on TV in suburban Buffalo, was blown away by what he saw from Clune and her 19,020 backup singers.
“I thought she handled it just perfectly,” said Jeremy Hoyle, bandleader for renowned cover band The Strictly Hip, an homage to Canadiana icons The Tragically Hip. “That’s a very stressful situation. You’re in an arena, and everything stops to listen to you.
“Anthems are scary. Look what happened! It can change your life if something goes wrong, but then something beautiful can happen too.”
