As Cami Clune sang the Canadian national anthem before a National Hockey League playoff game in Buffalo on Tuesday night, she faced a singer\u2019s nightmare: Her microphone started cutting out.<\/p>\n
So the Buffalo Sabres hockey fans at KeyBank Center stepped in. As Ms. Clune\u2019s mic malfunctioned, they belted the lyrics to \u201cO Canada\u201d along with her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell that was interesting!!\u201d Ms. Clune wrote on social media<\/a> afterward. \u201cThank you all for singing along with me. We have the best fans ever!\u201d<\/p>\n At most N.H.L. arenas in the United States, \u201cO Canada\u201d is performed only when the visiting team is Canadian. But in Buffalo, which borders Ontario and has close economic ties with Canada, the Canadian anthem is sung before each game. <\/p>\n The moment of amity presented a contrast to ongoing U.S.-Canada tensions<\/a> over President Trump\u2019s tariffs and threats to Canada\u2019s sovereignty.<\/p>\n Among other points of friction, the countries have yet to start negotiations<\/a> over their free trade deal following a Supreme Court ruling in February that struck down many of President Trump\u2019s tariffs on Canadian goods. And Canadians have criticized Mr. Trump for repeatedly suggesting<\/a> that Canada should become the 51st American state.<\/p>\n The tensions have occasionally spilled into the sporting world.<\/p>\n At a hockey game<\/a> between the two countries\u2019 national teams in Montreal last February, the crowd jeered during \u201cThe Star-Spangled Banner.\u201d That was days after some N.B.A. fans in Toronto booed the American anthem<\/a> as it was played before a Toronto Raptors home game against the Los Angeles Clippers.<\/p>\n In many respects, the N.H.L. illustrates the closeness of U.S.-Canadian ties. Teams regularly travel across the border for games. Americans play for Canadian teams and vice versa. Two Canadian squads, the Ottawa Senators and the Toronto Maple Leafs, are captained by American stars.<\/p>\n There are plenty of signs of U.S.-Canadian bonhomie in Buffalo, including the \u201cPeace Bridge<\/a>\u201d connecting the city with Fort Erie, Ontario. Some people own homes on both sides of the border, and Canadians have typically generated 35 to 40 percent of the Buffalo region\u2019s annual tourism revenue, according to Visit Buffalo, Erie County\u2019s tourism and convention bureau.<\/p>\n After the anthem on Tuesday, the Sabres lost to the Boston Bruins in overtime, and are now up 3-2 in their best-of-seven first-round playoff series. But some people in Buffalo pointed to the \u201cO Canada\u201d moment as a positive.<\/p>\n