After on-ice flub, Canadian invited to sing U.S. anthem

NEW YORK – By the dawn’s early light Monday, Caroline Marcil finally finished on national TV what she started at a hockey game – giving a flawless rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

The Montreal singer was to perform the national anthems of the two countries before the United States’ 5-4 exhibition victory over Canada on Friday in Quebec City.

Despite two tries, she forgot the words to the U.S. anthem and left to get the lyrics. When she returned to the rink, she slipped on the carpet covering the ice and plopped on her back before a Quebec Coliseum crowd of 7,166.

After lying motionless for a few seconds, the 24-year-old Canadian left on her own and the game began without either anthem being sung.

Marcil regrouped during the weekend and was invited to appear on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” where she sang the entire U.S. anthem without a hitch.

Marcil said the pressure before the game got to her.

“It was a lot of things together – the emotion, the stress,” she said, adding the crowd’s booing made things worse.

“That made me completely blank,” she said.

On ABC, she explained why she returned to the ice.

“I wanted to do it,” she said in accented English. “And to show I was able to do it. I go get my words and – I’m going to do this song. I have to.”