A Swan Song for Our National Anthems

An almost imperceptible breeze caresses Jacques Plante and Maurice Richard, sending a shiver along the stitching of Nos. 1 and 9, respectively, hung high above center ice at the Bell Center in Montreal. The breeze may have come from the building’s ventilation system or from the collective roar of more than 21,000 fans, celebrating in unison as Alex Kovalev buries one top shelf.  That same subtle wind also makes the stars and stripes and the red maple leaf shudder briefly, both flags sharing the same rafter space with the banners of former Canadiens greats.  It is those flags, and the countries they represent, that are honored in what has become an outdated ceremony prior to every first pitch, puck drop, jump-ball and kick-off in every arena, park and stadium across the professional sporting world of North America.  Nations adopt anthems as a way to celebrate, memorialize and eulogize the shared history of its peoples.  Emerging nations in the nineteenth and twentieth ... [link]