"That was a pretty special moment to be in Canada and hear the crowd singing our anthem," Sabres coach Don Granato said. "Hats off to the fans that were here. That will be a memorable thing I think for anybody that was in the building. What a great place this is. Lots of great people and they rose to the occasion at that moment."
After the fans finished singing the anthem - right on pitch, too - they erupted in a loud, collective cheer.
"Yeah that was great," Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews said. "I thought just everybody coming together, it's pretty cool to see that in any building but obviously when you are in Toronto and it's the American anthem, I thought that was a really cool gesture from everybody in the arena to help her finish that off and then give her the reigns back."
Morris was given a new microphone for "O Canada," which she sang afterwards.
How about that for a memorable way to start the game?
- NHL.com Independent Correspondent Dave McCarthy contributed to this report.
