Buffalo hockey fans finish 'O Canada' after singer's microphone malfunctions

By Jin Yu Young The New York Times Wednesday, April 29, 2026 https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/29/sports/hockey/buffalo-sabres-nhl-canadian-anthem.html As Cami Clune sang the Canadian national anthem before a National Hockey League playoff game in Buffalo on Tuesday night, she faced a singer's nightmare: Her microphone started cutting out. So the Buffalo Sabres hockey fans at KeyBank Center stepped in. As Ms. Clune's microphone malfunctioned, they belted the lyrics to "O Canada" along with her. ... Dispatch continues below ... ... ADVERTISEMENT ... Ultra-Secure Swiss Vault Storage from Tara Gold and Silver Ltd. Tara Gold is delighted to announce the launch of our ultra-secure gold and silver secure storage service. GATA followers can now own gold and silver coins and bars -- including the Gold and Silver Trees of Life — with fully segregated, allocated holdings in one of the safest vault providers in Switzerland and the world. All coins and bars are held in your name. Not a paper claim. 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Among other points of friction, the countries have yet to start negotiations over their free trade deal following a Supreme Court ruling in February that struck down many of President Trump's tariffs on Canadian goods. And Canadians have criticized Mr. Trump for repeatedly suggesting that Canada should become the 51st American state. The tensions have occasionally spilled into the sporting world. At a hockey game between the two countries' national teams in Montreal last February, the crowd jeered during "The Star-Spangled Banner." That was days after some N.B.A. fans in Toronto booed the American anthem as it was played before a Toronto Raptors home game against the Los Angeles Clippers. In many respects, the N.H.L. illustrates the closeness of U.S.-Canadian ties. Teams regularly travel across the border for games. Americans play for Canadian teams and vice versa. Two Canadian squads, the Ottawa Senators and the Toronto Maple Leafs, are captained by American stars. There are plenty of signs of U.S.-Canadian bonhomie in Buffalo, including the "Peace Bridge" connecting the city with Fort Erie, Ontario. Some people own homes on both sides of the border, and Canadians have typically generated 35 to 40 percent of the Buffalo region's annual tourism revenue, according to Visit Buffalo, Erie County's tourism and convention bureau. After the anthem on Tuesday, the Sabres lost to the Boston Bruins in overtime, and are now up 3-2 in their best-of-seven first-round playoff series. But some people in Buffalo pointed to the "O Canada" moment as a positive. "Before the game we had a really cool moment with Cami Clune leading us all in a moment of kinship with our Canadian brethren," Joe Thomas, whose band Mayday Buffalo also played at the game, wrote on social media. Ms. Clune, a finalist for the American singing competition show "The Voice" in 2020, was looking ahead to the next game in the series. "Truly grateful for this city," she wrote, adding: "On to Game 6, let's go!!" * * * Support GATA by purchasing Stuart Englert's "Rigged" "Rigged" is a concise explanation of government's currency market rigging policy and extensively credits GATA's work exposing it. Ten percent of sales proceeds are contributed to GATA. Buy a copy for $14.99 through Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/3xt6uw66 * * * Help keep GATA going: GATA is a civil rights and educational organization based in the United States and tax-exempt under the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. Its e-mail dispatches are free, and you can subscribe at: http://www.gata.org To contribute to GATA, please visit: http://www.gata.org/node/16 Donations of $500 or more will entitle the donor to a 1-ounce silver round commemorating GATA's work: https://www.gata.org/sites/default/files/GATA-silver-round-front.png