Watch 18,000 Canadian hockey fans sing 'Star-Spangled Banner'

Oh, Canada. That was pretty cool.

May 1, 2017 at 4:29PM
Brett Kissel leads Canadian crowd in American national anthem.
Brett Kissel leads Canadian crowd in American national anthem. (Tom Horgen/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Who knew a giant sing-a-long could bring two countries together?

Before Game 3 Sunday between the Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Ducks, Canadian country music star Brett Kissel had an apparent mic issue during the "Star-Spangled Banner" and asked the crowd to "sing it together." The result was magical.

The 18,000-plus fans in attendance, most of them Oilers fans, joined forces for a beautiful rendition of the American national anthem.
Best. Neighbors. Ever.

Some thought the microphone failure and resulting sing-a-long gave way to a heartwarming patriotic scene. Others thought the whole thing was staged.

In 2014, Toronto Maple Leafs fans sang the "Star-Spangled Banner" after a mic glitch. A few months later, fans in Nashville returned the favor when they united to sing the Canadian national anthem led by none other than Brett Kissel.

Coincidence? Does it matter? What's impressive here is that an arena full of Canadians knew every word of another country's anthem. Can most Americans say the same?

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Aimee Jordan

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