Why Sabres play both Canadian and US anthems

Buffalo, NY (WBEN) After an online remark by Barstool's Dave Portnoy about why both the Canadian and US national anthems were played before Sabres home games, two with former Sabres connections explain this Queen City and border city tradition.

" I've heard that comment a few times, and no one ever explained it to me," says former Sabres anthem singer Doug Allen. "I've heard that several of the border teams will do that because they're so close to the border that you've got Canadians coming over and watching the game and and I know in Buffalo that on any given night you have 10,000, or more fans in attendance who are from Canada. And so it just makes sense for us to do both anthems, because half of your, of your audience is from Canada."

Allen says the tradition is important. "It is in respect to the people who are coming across the border to watch the games. I think it's also in respect to the game itself. It is very decidedly the Canada's first sport, just like we love football down here in America, hockey is is Canada. And so I think there's, there's a respect for the game itself, but also for the people who are in attendance,," says Allen.

Sabres Hall of Famer Danny Gare says this tradition began when the Sabres were founded in 1970. "A lot of the fans back in the lower Niagara region and St Catharines, Niagara Falls, Hamilton, Fort Erie were season ticket holders, and we probably had, back when I played, I would say, 35% of the fans were season ticket holders from Canada. So that's why they sang both national anthems. And I've always thought it's, very unique, and i it's great for both countries," says Gare.

Gare says it was good to hear both anthems played when he started with the Sabres. "I always sang both because being from British Columbia, I lived near the American border at the time also, so I knew both anthems pretty well. And I always, like I said, I the people enjoyed both of them, and then then I believe they still do," says Gare.

When Gare was traded to Detroit in 1981, the Red Wings did the same thing because of its proximity to Canada, notably WIndsor. .