Oilers coach Todd McLellan 'proud' of fans for anthem assist

EDMONTON -- Edmonton Oilers coach Todd McLellan and forward Pat Maroon expressed how proud they were of their fans for bailing out Canadian country music singer Brett Kissel, whose mic failed as he was about to perform " The Star-Spangled Banner" before Game 3 of their
Western Conference First Round series
against the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday.
When Kissel realized his microphone wasn't being heard inside Rogers Place, he asked the fans to pick him up. The Edmonton crowd, famous for belting out "O Canada" before Stanley Cup Playoff games, helped out Kissel with a chill-inducing rendition of the American anthem.

"I'm certainly proud to say that I'm from Edmonton today and I think everybody else that's around me can say that as well," McLellan said on Monday, a day after the Oilers' 6-3 loss against the Ducks. "As it turns out, sometimes a glitch can produce a great moment. I thought once again the people of Edmonton showed their respect to our neighbors down south and it speaks volumes of the quality of person that lives here in this community."
Maroon, who is from St. Louis, loved the moment.
"It was pretty special," he said. "I thought obviously Brett knew the mike wasn't going so I thought as an American, for a Canadian to sing the national anthem was pretty special to me. They should all be proud. It certainly got me going. It was pretty cool.
"As an American, I was pretty proud of what happened last night with the national anthem."
Ducks owners Henry and Susan Samueli on Monday expressed their appreciation for the Edmonton crowd.
"Congratulations to the Edmonton fans for creating such a special moment last night by singing both of the national anthems. To hear the audience passionately sing both the Canadian and United States anthems was inspiring and powerful. Well done, Edmonton!"