Americans Shock The World By Stepping Up To Sing ‘O Canada’ When Anthem Singer’s Mic Cuts Out

When two American NHL teams face off, they traditionally only perform ‘The Star-Spangled Banner.’ But as Christopher Detwiler of NHL.com notes, the Sabres play ‘O Canada’ before home games because of how close Buffalo is to the Canadian border.

As such, the Buffalo Sabres and the NFL’s Buffalo Bills have plenty of Canadian fans, specifically in the province of Ontario.

Buffalo Sabres Were NHL’s Biggest Surprise In 2025-26 Regular Season

The Sabres were the NHL’s most dysfunctional franchise for over a decade. That changed this year, with legendary head coach Lindy Ruff guiding them to a 109-point season. Buffalo surprisingly won the Atlantic Division, their first division crown in 19 years.

Buffalo missed the playoffs in 14 straight years from 2012 to 2015, the longest drought in NHL history. Now, they aim to win their first playoff series since 2006-07, when Ruff’s squad won the Presidents’ Trophy before bowing out in the Western Conference Final.

Incredibly, the Sabres and Bills hadn’t made the playoffs in the same year since 1999. That all changed this year, with Josh Allen’s Bills going to the Divisional Round before falling to the Denver Broncos.

Now, if one of the Buffalo sports teams could finally bring a championship to the city that the fans deserve.