Michael Bublé managed to sing “O Canada” before hockey games in two different cities on Saturday – without being at either one.
The crooner’s rendition of the national anthem was recorded inside an empty Rogers Arena in his hometown Vancouver and was played before the Edmonton-Chicago game in Edmonton and the Montreal-Pittsburgh game in Toronto.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NHL is holding all games in Edmonton and Toronto with no fans in the arenas.
Bublé patriotic performance mostly earned raves on social media but some Montreal Canadiens fans were upset he didn’t sing a bilingual version.
The NHL later explained in a statement that an English version of the anthem was used because Pittsburgh was, technically, the home team, not Montreal.
On his 2018 album ❤️, Bublé sings one verse of the 1940s classic "La Vie en rose" in French.