Al Strachan on "O Canada" at Maple Leafs games

From Al Strachan's column this morning in the Toronto Sun:

"For years, anthem singers at American hockey games have used the original score in a purely advisory capacity. But in Canada, our national anthem always has been treated with respect and sung the way it was written. This season, however, variations have been creeping in, the ultimate indignity being inflicted at the Air Canada Centre last Saturday when O Canada was sung by a group that hit the original notes only by pure coincidence on the way to yet another perpetration of atonal discord. It's the national anthem, not some pop refrain. The next thing we know, they'll be doing a rap version of O Canada." Read more...

This reminds me of a quote from Richard Crepeau, a professor of hitory at the University of Central Florida:

"In recent years, the national anthem has lost its patriotic air in most sports venues. It has become an occasion for entertainers to display their talents or lack thereof, fans to create new cheers, and the networks to run commercials. Its symbolic significance has been overshadowed by commercial purposes and public indifference, but it can still rattle the cages when someone uses it as an occasion for protest."