Hockey fans are up in arms after a controversial performance of The Star-Spangled Banner before Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals in the Stanley Cup Playoffs between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Florida Panthers.
The anthem, sung by Adam David – the most recent winner of ‘The Voice’ – was panned for its length and its lack of clarity for the lyrics.
David appeared to mumble his way through the first verse of the song – having a particularly troublesome time of getting through ‘at the twilight’s last gleaming’.
Not only that, but David appeared to drag out the song – as he crooned his rendition to last a whopping length of two minutes and eleven seconds.
According to entertainment site AudioPhix, the average length of the anthem sung at the Super Bowl is about 1 minute, 43 seconds long.
David, who just won Season 27 of NBC’s singing competition days ago, was lambasted on X, formerly Twitter, as fans were furious over his perceived butchery of the song.
ESPN hockey writer Greg Wyshynski joked, ‘The military hero of the game is 100 years old. I think he’s now 102 after that anthem.’
One user remarked, ‘This guy should not sing the National Anthem ever again…way too slow and didn’t even sing “at the twilight’s last gleaming” but instead mumbled who knows what.’
‘#Panthers anthem singer might be having a stroke,’ remarked another user on the social media platform.
One fan wondered, ‘What was the name of the word-slurring inebriated dude who just “sang” the national anthem at the #CarolinavsFlorida hockey match?’
‘Terrible anthem in FLA ….dragged it onnnn and onnnn. Cmon it’s not about you dufus. I thought that 100 year old vet was gonna stop saluting and Hai Karate his a**. Winner of The Voice ugh,’ complained another.
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