SINGING OF THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER

Last night it was Armed Forces Night at the Air Canada Center in Toronto for the New York Rangers – Toronto Maple Leafs ice hockey game. Maple Leafs season ticket holders had given up their seats so that 500 Canadian troops and their families could attend the game. (The Rangers won 3 – 0.)

During an impressive pregame ceremony, Canadian soldiers repelled down from the rafters onto the ice. After the introduction at center ice of a general and several military personnel with their children, a Canadian soldier sang the Star Spangled Banner and Oh Canada, the Canadian national anthem. As the camera panned through the huge arena, you could see that every uniformed Canadian trooper, from the general on down, stood smartly at attention and saluted during the singing of the Star Spangled Banner.

Which brings me to the singing of our national anthem. I’ve watched many a sporting event in our country where some guest celebrity sang the Star Spangled Banner and butchered up the tune by putting their personal signature on it. I don’t think that is showing the proper respect to our national anthem.

I’ve also watched a lot of hockey games being broadcast from Canadian cities. To the credit of our northern neighbors, the Canadians in the audience always stand up and pay their respect to our anthem, many of them holding their right hand over their hearts.

But best of all, every Canadian singer who has performed the Star Spangled Banner at the arenas has sung our anthem straight forward without deviating from the tune the way it was originally composed. God bless the Canadians! As for America’s celebrity singers who want to make an impression by butchering up the Star Spangled Banner tune, I say shame on you!