Ducks' Trevor Zegras jokes unique national anthem rendition contributed to slow start
"The Star-Spangled Banner" became a polarizing topic in the NHL over the last month because of a feud between President Donald Trump and Canadian officials over tariffs.
The national anthem became a talking point again in the league for a different reason.
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U.S. Marine Corps veteran Bruce Gust performed his own rendition of the anthem at the Bridgestone Arena before the Nashville Predators took on the Anaheim Ducks. He brought out bongos to help add a rhythmic beat to the song.
Ducks star Trevor Zegras joked that the unique performance affected his play at the start.
"I think the bongo anthem threw us off a little bit in the first," Zegras said. "But once we recovered from that, we were back to our game, which was good."
He finished with a goal and an assist as Anaheim won the game, 4-1.
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Since the start of February, fans in Canada have booed the U.S. national anthem amid the back and forth between Trump and Canadian lawmakers. Americans have returned the favor by booing "O, Canada" during performances in U.S.-based arenas.
The issue came to a head in hockey during the 4 Nationals Face-Off as American and Canadian team members dropped gloves and fought during one of their games.
The booing went outside of hockey as well, with the dismissal of the U.S. anthem being heard before NBA and MLS games as well as a WWE premium live event.
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