Before the Buffalo Sabres play their home hockey games, two national anthems are sung.
First it’s the Canadian tune, ‘O Canada,’ before the United States’ anthem, ‘The Star Spangled Banner,’ is sung.
It’s something that’s normal to those in Buffalo, but with the Sabres back in the playoffs for the first time in 15 years, it’s something that has caught the attention of a national audience.
It’s not common in the NHL’s U.S. cities to sing both anthems. Only Detroit does it aside from Buffalo.
But it’s how it has worked in Buffalo for a long time, and there’s no sign of it changing.
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Why Sabres sing Canadian national anthem ‘O Canada’?
In essence, it comes down to their proximity to Canada.
You can go from Buffalo to the Canadian border in less than five miles.
That proximity also means that the Sabres’ actually have a strong Canadian fanbase, including many season-ticket holders.
Consider the name Sabres itself — the Americanized spelling of that word would be “sabers,” but Toronto filmmaker Harry Cole had submitted the suggestion in a name-the-team contest in the late-1960s, and the Canadian ‘-re’ ending stuck.
The Sabres have also had a ton of prominent Canadian players, most notably the French Connection from Quebec.
In the KeyBank Center, you can hear a good chunk of fans sing along with ‘O Canada,’ as well. It’s just part of the action in Buffalo.
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