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It is traditional at NHL games, where there are both an American and a Canadian team playing, to sing both national anthems, with that of the visiting team being sung first.
Earlier this week in Toronto, the Maple Leafs were playing the Nashville Predators, at the Air Canada Centre. The young woman who was to sing both anthems had the miss-fortune of having her microphone stop working, a few lines into the US national anthem.
Without missing a beat, the 22,000 Toronto fans picked up on the audio problem and SANG the entire Star Spangled Banner, with out a hitch.
How many US sports fans could do the same with Oh Canada ? Not many, I think.
Here is the video, from the TV coverage of the game.
How many US sports fans could do the same with Oh Canada ? Not many, I think.
How many Canadian teams are in the NHL? I don't follow hockey, but isn't it like 3-4 teams? If you are an NHL fan in Canada I would think the majority of the games you go to are against an American team, so you here the American national anthem often. A US hockey fan is going to see a majority of NHL games played against two American teams, so they won't hear the Canadian national anthem as much.
Although I did have a friend in grade school who was a big hockey fan and knew the Canadian national anthem... So maybe a lot of other American hockey fans also know all the words.
I could sing it. I have done so. But I am not typical of my country. And the ugly reality is that most of my countrypeople would not have done the same, because spontaneous gestures of humility and goodwill just are not part of our national psyche.
Actually there are seven Canadian teams in the NHL and about fifty percent of the approximately 700 players in the league are Canadian born. The other fifty per cent are American or European born.
My point was that as a gesture of solidarity, the Toronto fans sang the American national anthem, when the on ice singer's microphone stopped working, due to a technical problem.
In Canada, we sing the national anthem, as a group, along with the actual "designated singer " and the tradition is that you know the words, in BOTH English and French.
At the Joe ? For sure. Its not called Hockey Town for nothing.
Tough news about Gordie Howe, and his declining health condition. Imagine a modern NHL player being able to play into his 50's and still be a scoring threat ? Unbelievable skill and stamina.
I guess the words are taught in American schools as a matter of tradition, but the act of singing the national anthem, in America, seems to be an individual choice. In many cases, the "designated singer " is the only voice to be heard. In Canada, the custom is different, we all sing the words, right out loud, and with emotion, and in two languages, as well.
I served in the Canadian Forces for 30 years, and I have heard OH Canada played hundreds of times, sung by individuals, and played by military bands. Unlike the Star Spangled Banner it is a military march, to be played as if the audience is marching along, swinging their arms, all in step. It takes 120 seconds to play in it's entirety, and the first four notes, of OH Canada, are used by Via Rail as the sound of their passenger train horns.
Jim B. In Toronto.
Last edited by canadian citizen; 11-24-2014 at 07:12 AM..
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