25 May, 2013


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A Lesson from the North

By pucksandbooks 5 June, 2007

Truth be told, I’m not an Alanis Morisette fan. Just not my thing, nothing personal. However, she and her 20,500 background singers taught me a lesson in how one is supposed to sing their national anthem tonight.
I’ve never been at a sporting event (or any other event for that matter) where a crowd sang so enthusiastically and without self-consciousness the anthem of their country. Maybe I haven’t been to the right games. Maybe our anthem is too tough. Maybe I’ve just been oblivious (which happens with an uncomfortable regularity), but it occurs to me that how it was done tonight is the way it should be done.
As I’ve been guilty of not singing, or singing under my breath, I have no right to talk. So, the next time I’m at a Caps game and not working in the press box, I’ll do it. I’ll be that guy. I’m not gifted with a particularly good singing voice, and goodness knows I may embarrass and/or enrage those around me. Maybe I’m just a softie. But I’ll do it.
And no, I’m still not shouting “O.”
[OFB Edit: A Sens fan recorded the anthem from his seat at ScotiaBank Place and we'd like to share it with you]

This was written by pucksandbooks. Posted on at 2:10 am. Filed under Video Clips.
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17 Comments

  1. odessa steps wrote:

    As cool as it was tonight and Saturday night, I don’t think either were as great as when they did it in Edmonton last year.

    5 June, 2007 at 2:52 am | Permalink
  2. Rico wrote:

    I’ll sing harmony with you.
    Totally agreed about the “O” shouting. It has to go. Regardless of whether or not it’s disrespectful, DC has the Nats now. And Angelos is a jerk anyway.

    5 June, 2007 at 4:31 am | Permalink
  3. chanuck wrote:

    We still had a dumbass saying the “o” even at low decibels at the Canadian embassy. Who let in the Balti-moron?

    5 June, 2007 at 4:44 am | Permalink
  4. CapsChick wrote:

    I loved that tonight, very inspirational…but I may have just been partial to the singing of the first half in French, it reminds me of being back in Montreal.
    As for the US anthem, I’ll join in with you as well – but I make no guarantees that I can carry a tune (just a warning…)

    5 June, 2007 at 5:22 am | Permalink
  5. mclea wrote:

    So I’m guessing you missed all the Oilers playoff games last year?

    5 June, 2007 at 4:11 pm | Permalink
  6. shakey wrote:

    Last night was great, so was last year in Edmonton…But the best (from the perspective of my couch, as I live in Winnipeg) is definitely the Canucks fans belting it out at the top of their lungs! I get chills everytime they do it.

    5 June, 2007 at 4:49 pm | Permalink
  7. pucksandbooks wrote:

    mclea – thanks for coming in the sandbox and taking a dump on a nice thread. OFB wasn’t around last spring, elst we’d most assuredly have lavished high praise on the great citizens of Edmonton and their spirit during last year’s playoffs.

    5 June, 2007 at 5:34 pm | Permalink
  8. Gustafsson wrote:

    The anthem as seen/heard on the CBC feed can be found on this video at the 3:00 mark:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Te6nYyT89sw
    Thanks to deadspin.com commenter MoBot for the pointer.

    5 June, 2007 at 8:04 pm | Permalink
  9. Chris wrote:

    What I find really impressive is that they all sang without getting lost in the transition from English to French and back again. It likely has a lot to do with the fact that Ottawa is a highly bilingual city. In the predominantly English speaking cities you get this weird mix of boisterous song, followed by an odd mumbling, then a final rousing burst of national pride again.
    The other oddity you may experience in Canada is the bizarre case of people booing their own national anthem. This typically occurs when the tensions between Quebec and the rest of Canada are heightened, such as occurred during the last couple of referendums.
    Ah, yes, we Canadians are an enigma wrapped up in a mystery.

    5 June, 2007 at 11:41 pm | Permalink
  10. Chris wrote:

    It also didn’t help that they changed the lyrics sometime in the late 70′s, so half the crowd sang the old version, the second half the new version, and the third half couldn’t figure out what was going on.

    5 June, 2007 at 11:44 pm | Permalink
  11. steph wrote:

    Hard to say if Caps fans will ever reach that level of participation – DC is the only place that I have ever seen the words to OUR national anthem projected for all, like we don’t know them – and it seems like in our nations capital that should be a given, eh?

    6 June, 2007 at 1:11 am | Permalink
  12. Christy wrote:

    I love listening to “O Canada” before hockey games. I was a game night intern for the Plymouth Whalers in the OHL and they sing both anthems before every game (even if two American teams are playing that night). I think I still have to go with Edmonton’s crowd last season, but any Canadian hockey crowd does a great job as well.

    6 June, 2007 at 3:49 am | Permalink
  13. Mellyville wrote:

    Some one mentioned about the words being projected. Thats because half the arena DOESNT know the words to our national anthem of the US. Its sad but true. Our anthem is tough, using words that are not used in current times and confuses many people. Also as we see in numerous instances, that US pride is what i think is a flip flop. We show it at certain times, at least I feel mainly in times of tradgedy and not so much just to show love for what we have in this country. #2 Hockey is LOVED in Canada, Not in the US and especially not in DC. I bet more people in DC can sing the whole HAIL TO THE REDSKINS (I love my skins) but cannot recite the anthem.

    6 June, 2007 at 8:23 am | Permalink
  14. Gustafsson wrote:

    Here’s the full CBC feed of O Canada.
    http://youtube.com/watch?v=uMfYadDLhJw

    6 June, 2007 at 2:36 pm | Permalink
  15. Gustafsson wrote:

    Anaheim battles back.
    Thanks to Kukla’s Korner for the assist.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5tVypovhqA

    7 June, 2007 at 4:23 am | Permalink
  16. k wrote:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meLpuF9UMvk
    at a bar watching this live game, everyone in the bar starts singing as well, truly some of the most memorable times of my life last summer. i get chills when i watch/hear this.

    18 June, 2007 at 6:38 pm | Permalink
  17. k wrote:

    meaning to say, i live in edmonton and that was some amazing times along whyte ave..

    18 June, 2007 at 6:51 pm | Permalink