The National Anthem Performance That Excited Hockey Fans Before Canadiens vs. Lightning Game 2
On April 21, 2026, the second game in the playoff series between the Montreal Canadiens and the Tampa Bay Lightning had everyone buzzing with excitement, even before it kicked off. It wasn’t a daring play or a surprising choice that got the crowd pumped — it was the national anthem performances at Tampa Bay’s Benchmark International Arena that really lit up social media across Quebec and beyond.
The Lightning brought in their favorite regular singer, Sonya Bryson-Kirksey. She showed up wearing her usual shiny blue lipstick and sang the Star-Spangled Banner with her strong voice and style. While a few people had slight criticisms about her singing of the American anthem, those remarks were nothing compared to the big talk that grew around the Canadian anthem.
Amanda Breivogel’s O Canada Creates a Big Discussion.
Amanda Breivogel was chosen to perform O Canada before the pivotal playoff game, and her singing really struck a chord with hockey fans in Canada. While some loved her natural voice and energetic presence, many fans felt her version was overly dramatic and went on for too long. Just minutes after she finished, reactions flooded Twitter and Facebook, turning what is usually a simple pre-game act into a major discussion about how Canada’s national anthem should be sung.
A fan from Canada expressed their thoughts clearly on X when they pointed out it was amusing that Tampa Bay picked a singer they considered only average for the Canadian anthem, while the American anthem was performed by “an amazing artist with a lovely deep voice and shiny blue lipstick. ” The way the two anthems were performed became a hot subject for conversation, with fans making bold comparisons between Bryson-Kirksey’s smooth style and Breivogel’s more debated approach.
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