TD Garden was rocking Monday night for a 4 Nations Final game between the United States and Sweden, thanks in large part to Bruins anthem singer Todd Angilly.
The Garden legend brought the house down with his stirring rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” and it only made sense he’d get the chance to do it again for the highly anticipated final between Team USA and Canada.
Apparently, the NHL disagrees.
According to multiple reports, the NHL is going a different direction for the anthem(s) for the Thursday night final at the Garden. Longtime Bruins reporter Joe McDonald delivered the news Thursday afternoon.
“I don’t know who, but unfortunately Todd Angilly will not perform the anthem tonight,” McDonald said in a post to X. “Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman recently said there’s no one better than Angilly. Too bad!”
What makes the decision even more peculiar is how much attention is being paid to the anthems. The simmering political tension between the two countries led to Canadians booing the American anthem before the two teams met in round-robin play in Montreal on Saturday night.
The Canadian anthem got a smattering of boos before the Canada-Sweden game, but Thursday night’s pregame ceremony comes with an anticipation level that rivals 2004 when Bruins fans cheered the Canadian anthem after Montreal booed “The Star-Spangled Banner” earlier in a Bruins-Canadiens playoff series.
More NHL:
Bruins’ Charlie McAvoy Posts Update Ahead Of USA-Canada Final
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