Thousands of US hockey fans sing Canadian anthem amid tensions between neighbor countries
Fans in Buffalo, only a few miles from Ontario, filled the silence when a microphone cut out at the start of a match
The Boston Bruins play against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center on 28 April 2026 in Buffalo, New York. Photograph: Joe Hrycych/Getty Images The Electric City. Nickle City.
Queen City. City of No Illusions. Buffalo, New York, has accrued many nicknames over the years, but in an age of growing tensions between two traditional allies, one such epithet has taken on extra resonance: the City of Good Neighbors.
Buffalo, which sits at the head of the Niagara River, has cultivated a reputation for its small-town feel and welcoming atmosphere, especially to visitors crossing the border from Canada.. This week, ahead of a key ice hockey match between two US teams, singer Cami Clune began what has been a tradition for more than half a century: a rendition of the Canadian national anthem. The Buffalo Sabres are an outlier in the National Hockey league as the only team to celebrate their northern neighbours – even when a matchup is between two US-based teams.
But as Clune began with the opening refrain, her microphone malfunctioned and her voice cut out. A crowd of nearly 20,000 filled the silence . The vast majority were American – and knew all the words.