Rare Anthem Gaffe Leads To Laughs Prior to Boston Bruins Game

The Boston Bruins had a business-as-usual win over the Ottawa Senators on Monday afternoon at TD Garden once the puck was dropped, but the game itself had plenty of out-of-the-ordinary things going on beforehand.

There was the pregame ceremony to honor veteran center David Krejci after he’d played in his 1000^th NHL game earlier this season, a sequence that included a video tribute from former and current teammates like Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, Milan Lucic, Jaromir Jagr and Tuukka Rask among others. It was a moment that was much appreciated by the 36-year-old Krejci as he celebrated with his wife and two children along with the extended Boston Bruins family.

Some old friends congratulating David Krejci on 1000 games played, including a Jagr appearance pic.twitter.com/4H4fPXEkfY

— Joe Haggerty (@HackswithHaggs) February 20, 2023

“I appreciate all of those guys,” said Krejci, of the Boston Bruins teammates that popped up on the jumbotron. “They’re really close to me, and hearing them talk, it was pretty special.

“I was on the bench for a few of the guys’ 1,000th game, so I knew what to expect a little bit, but it was more than I expected. It was a pretty special moment, and having the family there with me, it was more than I expected. It started before the game in the room with the boys. Special moment. Very, very thankful that I am part of this team.”

And there was also TD Garden anthem singer Todd Angilly, who had a rare slip-up during “O Canada” with both required prior to an American and Canadian team facing each other at the Garden before Boston’s 3-1 win over the Sens at the Garden.

TD Garden organist Ron Poster began playing the Star-Spangled Banner music on the organ rather than “O Canada”, which is traditionally played first in American buildings when both anthems are played. A clearly confused Angilly momentarily sang “O Canada” to the wrong music, but then quickly stopped and reset with a gracious smile on his face and carried through both anthems to a strong finish to both “O Canada” and the Star Spangled Banner.

NESN play-by-play guy Jack Edwards made quick mention of it on the air prior to getting into the game action on Monday afternoon between the B’s and Senators.

“The Bruins are hoping to get off to a better start than the organist did”
-Jack on Todd singing the wrong national anthem first

— Jack Offs: The Official Jack Edwards Dictionary (@OffsJack) February 20, 2023

Boston Bruins winger Brad Marchand couldn’t help but crack a smile on the bench pregame after the quick miscue that both musical pros battled right on through as any professional musician would do when things occasionally go awry during a performance. Hats off to both Angilly and TD Garden organist Ron Poster for their quick recovery and then finishing things off strong while adding a wink and a nod on social media afterward to get them through the admittedly humorous moment.