If we rank the worst versions of “O Canada” ever performed in the United States, what John deCausmeaker did Thursday night in St. Paul did not top the list.
That honor would comfortably go to lounge singer Dennis Casey Park, who succeeded turn Canada’s national anthem into a version of “O Christmas Tree” before a CFL game in Las Vegas in 1994.
In deCausmeaker’s case, he simply misunderstood the lyrics and repeated the phrase “from far and wide” twice in the span of 10 seconds before the Wild-Flames game at Xcel Energy Center.
We have an anthem tonight in Minnesota 😂 pic.twitter.com/PZ8BFzMiBV
— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) December 15, 2023
The remarkable thing is that deCausmeaker’s rendition is not even the worst performance of the Canadian national anthem at a NHL game this week. That distinction goes to Sholanty Taylor’s version of “O Canada” from Monday at UBS Arena on Long Island.
Taylor’s sped-up and sloppy 59-second version of “O Canada” before the Maple Leafs–Islanders gameplay was deplorable at best.
Offensive at worst.
Our national anthem performed in less than a minute. Oh, and it’s discounted.@NYIslanders @MapleLeafs pic.twitter.com/D0DCIKlVGz
— Steve Woolridge (@CoachWooly) December 12, 2023
And these two horrors of the national anthem continue a trend we’ve seen on several occasions in 2023.
Back in March, Ryan Michael James suddenly forgot the words to Canada’s national anthem midway through the chant before a Maple Leafs-Panthers game in Sunrise, Florida. James later admitted to a Toronto radio station that he struggled to learn the lyrics to “O Canada.” two hours before his performance, as he was a last-minute substitute.
In November, Buffalo national anthem singer Christian Kramer trashed the lyrics to “O Canada.” halfway through the national anthem.
At one point, Kramer sang, “Oh Canada, we stand our eyes.”
So after four fake Canadian national anthems at NHL games in 2023, it’s time to question the practice of performing the national anthem before every single sporting event in North America.
Maybe it’s time we save the national anthem for the games and moments that really matter.
The first documented instance of a national anthem being played before a sporting event dates all the way back to May of 1862, when “The Star Spangled Banner” was played before a baseball game in Brooklyn, NY. The practice then occurred sporadically over the next several decades, with the national anthem being played before major sporting events such as the World Series.
The playing of the national anthem then gained momentum during the Second World War.
As North American professional sports leagues continued to play overseas during the conflict, teams began playing the national anthem as a symbol of wartime support and patriotism. As World War II ended, NFL Commissioner Elmer Layden firmly believed that the tradition should continue.
“The playing of the national anthem should be as much a part of every game as the kickoff,” Layden said. “We must not abandon it simply because the war is over. We must never forget what it stands for.”
NHL clubs mandate the home team would honor its own country before matches in 1946. About a decade later, both “O Canada” and “The Star Spangled Banner” were played before NHL games — regardless of where the game was staged.
However, in 1969, Canadian resistance to American involvement in the Vietnam War opened the door for the NHL to acquire the Maple Leafs and Canadiens to play only “O Canada” before their home games – choosing to skip the “Star Spangled Banner”. A vintage CBC broadcast shows a game between Toronto and Boston from Maple Leaf Gardens in November of 1970, in which an instrumental-only version of “O Canada” is played before the game. The same thing happens a few weeks later in a match between the Browns and Canadiens at the Montreal Forum.
But by 1987, the NHL made it mandatory for both national anthems to be played in games involving a Canadian team against an American opponent. In Buffalo, they actually play both the Canadian and American national anthems, regardless of the Sabres’ opponent.
This is a uniquely North American phenomenon.
In Europe, national anthems are reserved for major international competitions, or when an urgent or important national situation arises.
Earlier this year the Premier League asked his clubs to play the British national anthem before matches to mark the coronation of King Charles III.
When national anthems are rarely played and saved for special occasions – as is the practice elsewhere in the world – they carry more weight and meaning.
In North America, we have diluted the tradition to the point where the national anthems are played thousands of times each year, creating awkward and irreverent moments like the one outlined above.
The national anthem should be played sparingly and reserved for moments that evoke genuine feelings of national pride.
In 2014, all of Canada was rocked by the death of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, who was killed by a gunman at the National War Memorial in Ottawa. Days later, fans in Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa sang the national anthem at the same time in a coordinated display of national unity. It was moving, real and profound.
The same week in 2014 the Pittsburgh Penguins played “O Canada” before a game against the Philadelphia Flyers in a show of solidarity for their northern neighbors.
And we must never lose the ability to experience these heartfelt moments.
But when you shoehorn in anthem singers who don’t even know the lyrics so you can hit your quota of 82 games a year, it makes the whole exercise feel disingenuous and performative.
Save the playing of the national anthem for opening night, home games in the Stanley Cup playoffs, international competition (when we return to a best-on-best format), and special occasions when warranted.
Arguably the best and most exciting rendition of an anthem before an NHL event happened in January 1991. Against the backdrop of the Gulf War, Wayne Messmer sang “The Star Spangled Banner” with a raucous crowd at Chicago Stadium before the NHL All-Star Game. It was a goosebump inducing moment.
Whitney Houston’s version of “The Star Spangled Banner” the following week at the Super Bowl may be the greatest national anthem performance of all time.
Those moments felt real, emotional and powerful. It was a confluence of world events and great sporting moments.
That same magic simply won’t exist when the Florida Panthers visit Edmonton this weekend. Or when the Canucks is in Chicago. In these cases, the playing of the national anthem becomes quiet and monotonous. And that’s almost an invitation for something to go wrong.
In 2021, Dallas Mavericks fans and media played 13 games before realizing the club stopped playing the national anthem before their home games. It was tangible proof that national anthems are not as intrinsically woven into North American sports as we might think.
So would hockey fans really notice — or care — if NHL teams took the same approach on a full-time basis in the future?
(Photo of Sholanty Taylor singing the US National Anthem before a New York Islanders game earlier this month: Jay Anderson / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
