There was a ton of scoring when the Maple Leafs clashed with the Sabres in Toronto on Monday night. But by far, the biggest assist of the night came before the puck was even dropped.
With both of the mics handed to vocalist Natalie Morris cutting out on her, the 18,000 in attendance at Scotiabank Arena lent their voices to their neighbors to the south and sang the U.S. national anthem prior to the start of the game.
No mic? No problem! 👏
Listen as the crowd at @ScotiabankArena finished singing the American anthem after a microphone malfunction! pic.twitter.com/SK8nGqP8Qn
— NHL (@NHL) March 13, 2023
Mic issues during the American anthem?🎤 🇺🇸
Leafs Nation has it covered 👏 pic.twitter.com/gb4ZqjHwVj
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) March 13, 2023
“That was great,” said American-born Leafs star Auston Matthews. “I thought just everybody coming together, it’s pretty cool to see that – in any building, but obviously when you’re in Toronto and it’s the American anthem.
“I thought that was a really cool gesture from everybody in the arena to kind of help her finish that off and then give her the reins back.” Matthews added with a laugh, “I like it when she does it better anyway, sounds a little better.”
Whatever the problem with the mics, it was resolved by the time Morris needed to the Canadian national anthem, O Canada.
The Buffalo Sabres, the American-based squad most closely positioned to Canada, won the game 4-3.