Yes, Sabres still play Canadian national anthem ‘O Canada’ even when playing Canadiens in playoffs originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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It’s become a topic of conversation this postseason: The Buffalo Sabres play both the U.S. and Canada national anthems before their home games.
And yes, that will still be true even when faced with a Canadian opponent in the playoffs. The Montreal Canadiens are in Buffalo to open their Eastern Conference semifinal series on Wednesday, and you can expect to hear both tunes.
‘O Canada’ will be sung first, followed by ‘The Star Spangled Banner.’
It’s been that way for the Sabres since the beginning, a tradition dating back more than 50 years.
They have lots of fans through the years who have come across the border to the arena only a handful of miles away from the country line.
They’ve had plenty of prominent Canadian players.
Even their team name is spelled in a Canadian style.
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The Sabres’ fanbase went a bit viral in Game 5 of the first round when the microphone went out during the singing of ‘O Canada,’ and the whole arena nailed their rendition together. This is simply how it works at hockey games in Buffalo.
The Sabres and Detroit Red Wings are the only two NHL teams in the U.S. that play both anthems before games. The Red Wings, though, are sitting at home.
The Sabres, on the other hand, host a team from Montreal. It’s Buffalo’s first second-round playoff series in 19 years.
And nothing will change about the anthems. It’ll be both, as usual.
