Hockey fans baffled by national anthem featuring bongo drums

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There are the lovely performances of a national anthem that rarely getting talked about and there are the bad renditions that will live in infamy.

But then there are the weird ones — which, thankfully, are rare.

The latest bizarre anthem was at a recent NHL game at Bridgestone Arena as the Nashville Predators welcomed the Anaheim Ducks.

Anyone who watches The Voice knows that Nashville is teeming with musical talent, but those in the stands had to wonder what to expect when Bruce Gust, a nine-year Marine Corps veteran, brought out a pair of bongos before belting out The Star-Spangled Banner as he played.

It was so unexpected that Anaheim Ducks centre Trevor Zegras said that the performance may have shocked him and his teammates.

In a post-game interview, Zegras tried to explain his team’s sluggish start.

“I think the bongo anthem threw us off a little bit in the first (period),” Zegras joked.

“But once we recovered from that, we were back to our game, which was good.”

Someone who was at the game took to X to call it a “very odd experience.”

Another user commented, “Hard pass on Bongo Man,” and included a thumbs-down meme.

Another added: “Zegs is right. I would be thrown off too from that abomination.”

A fourth person wrote that they are “tired of these people experimenting with our NATIONAL ANTHEM. It always sounds like (poop emoji), and it lessons the sanctity of it.”

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The Ducks had a rough first period Thursday night, falling behind the Predators 1-0 before shutting down the home team and coming back with four straight goals for a 4-1 win.

Zegras scored the third goal and added an assist with the second.

The Ducks are currently 30-32-8 this season with 68 points and sit sixth in the Pacific Division.

Meanwhile, the Predators are fourth in the Central Division, with 99 points and a record of 47-30-5.