Thought Ingrid Andress’ anthem performance for the MLB Home Run Derby was memorable for the wrong reasons? There’s more where that came from in hockey.
Grammy-nominated singer Ingrid Andress is drawing a lot of heat for her performance of the American national anthem before the MLB’s Home Run Derby Monday night.
While some are declaring it one of the worst anthem performances in sports history, her anthem rendition has plenty of company in the hockey world.
Partially due to many hockey leagues consisting of both Canadian and American franchises, their respective anthems have proven more liable to errors.
Here’s a collection of the most memorable anthem gaffes in hockey’s memory:
Caroline Marcil – April 24, 2008
Forgets the lyrics to the Star Spangled Banner? Check. Forgets them a second time? Check. Leaves the ice through Team Canada’s bench to grab a copy of the lyrics? Check. Gets booed by the crowd? Check. Returns to the ice only for the carpet to slide out from under her? Check.
Caroline Marcil checked every box of potential embarrassment before this exhibition game between the Canadian and American World Championship teams in Quebec City.
It’s the kind of moment that surely makes Marcil wish YouTube didn’t exist, but here we are. Enjoy.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iR5tIGC9aHc[/embed]
"I was thinking, 'This could not be worse,' but this is life; we have to laugh about it," Marcil said after the fact, adding that English is not her first language, which made it even tougher to remember.
Alexis Normand – May 18, 2013
The Saskatoon Blades, hosts of the 2013 Memorial Cup, may have been a bit underprepared for the presentation of the American national anthem when the U.S.-based Portland Winterhawks played their first game of the tournament against the Halifax Mooseheads.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqryAVfqnRU[/embed]
What makes Normand’s rendition of the Star Bangled Banner particularly amusing is that in her attempt to sing the verse, “What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming,” she begins to belt “last” and abruptly changes it incorrectly to “first.”
Not even a large pause between verses could help Normand, a francophone singer-songwriter in Saskatchewan, get back on track as a collective groan from the audience at her next verse let her know she had it all wrong.
A few lines of unintelligible phrases later, and it was already an all-timer in the making. The crowd finally jumped in to help her the rest of the way.
Ryan Michael James – March 24, 2023
If you can’t remember the lyrics, at least mumble nonsense in their place!
At least, that’s what James attempted at the Florida Panthers’ Amerant Bank Arena during his rendition of O Canada. Thankfully, the Canadian snowbirds in Florida picked up some of the slack to give the singer a break.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XueVPeCOUI[/embed]
James told Toronto radio station KiSS 92.5 that he was informed only minutes before performing on the ice that he was the replacement singer.
Sholanty Taylor – Dec. 11, 2023
Taylor’s O Canada performance at UBS Arena clocks in at under a minute, far from the roughly 1:20 that it usually takes to sing, but that became less of an issue.
After missing the verse “God keep our land glorious and free,” Taylor awkwardly circles back to it before belting out the final verses.
Mark Donnelly – Oct. 3, 2014
While Canucks anthem singer Mark Donnelly knew his lyrics all right, it was his attempt to multitask at a Penticton Vees game that was his undoing.
Donnelly, wearing skates, decided to circle the two teams’ players on each blueline while singing but missed the ceremonial red carpet at center ice.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wrda-G3G9Hw[/embed]
However, extra points are in order for soldiering on with the anthem, without any mistakes.
As for the Home Run Derby anthem, Andress posted a statement to her Instagram account on Tuesday saying she was drunk and is checking herself into a facility to get help before apologizing.
- Text by Janson Duench, video by Avry Lewis-McDougall
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