Faith Hill received a warm welcome from the crowd as she stepped onto the hockey pitch to sing the national anthem for Game 6 of the 2017 Stanley Cup Final between the Nashville Predators and Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday, June 11, at Bridgestone Arena. The American singer-actress was wearing her Preds jersey to show her support to the Tennessee-based hockey team.
'Stand with us!'
Speculation has been swirling around for the past few days about who would open the National Hockey League (NHL) game in Nashville over the weekend. In fact, most fans were guessing it would be Faith Hill or Tim McGraw, who have been teasing their followers with photos of the Nashville Predators.
Speculations were answered when the "There You'll Be" singer was introduced to open the game with her own rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner."
Hey @PredsNHL, put a good ol country butt whoopin on the @penguins tonight!!! #smashville #standwithus #stanleycup pic.twitter.com/4bawbNANVd
— Tim McGraw (@TheTimMcGraw) June 11, 2017
The 49-year-old female artist sported her customized Preds jersey as she sang the national anthem before thousands of hockey fans inside the Bridgestone Arena. Faith Hill received a loud cheer from the crowd and her husband could be seen waving a yellow flag. Tim Mcgraw made a scene-stealer appearance when he stepped into the ring and gave his wife a big hug (awww!).
Faith Hill officially joined the star-studded lineup of Nashville's opening ceremony singers.
The playoff tradition began when Carrie Underwood slayed the national anthem during the first round to support her husband and Preds captain, Mike Fisher. The list also includes Kelly Clarkson, Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, Vince Gill family, Trisha Yearwood, Martina McBride, and Dierks Bentley.
2017 Stanley Cup Final: Predators vs Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins were leading against the Nashville Predators, 3-2, in the best of seven series of the 2017 Stanley Cup Final before the weekend match. The Pennsylvania-based hockey team nabbed the first two rounds with 5-3 and 4-1 at the PPG Paints Arena, while the Preds managed to bounce back with two straight wins at their home court.
The Penguins buried their opponents in Game 5 with 6-0, and formally closed the 2016-2017 NHL season with a big win against the Preds today, 2-0, courtesy of Patric Hornqvist and Carl Hagelin during the final 95 seconds of the third period. The recent victory marks Pittsburgh's fifth Stanley Cup win. In fact, Pittsburgh only missed one of their six final qualifications. Mike Sullivan's team has won Stanley Cup's in 1991, 1992, 2009, 2016, and 2017.
