Updated

A technical snag paved the way for a pretty cool moment just prior to Tuesday night's Canucks-Blues game in Vancouver.

During the pregame anthems, singer Jim Byrnes' microphone cut out towards the end of the Star Spangled Banner, leading to a few seconds of awkwardness and abrasive crackling in the arena. The crowd in attendance were quick on their feet, though, coming to the rescue and finishing out the last few lines of the American anthem. The technical issues seemed to be corrected in time for the Canadian anthem, but the fans took initiative and went full steam into "Oh Canada" and, to Byrnes' credit, he just let them have it.

A very similar scene unfolded a few years ago in Toronto and although I'm sure arena ops would love for this stuff to never happen, it's a pretty sweet, unscripted way to start a hockey game.