Las Vegas Golden Knights Say Thanks, But No Thanks to Carrie Underwood as Anthem Singer
It's not every day that Carrie Underwood gets turned down for a gig, but the Las Vegas Golden Knights are loyal to their own. The hockey team issued a statement after the country star (jokingly) expressed interest in singing the National Anthem during their playoff run, politely saying thanks, but no thanks.
“We are very flattered by the offer but we do not plan on making any changes to our previously scheduled anthem singer lineup at this time," the statement reads, according to a story in the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "This lineup includes musicians who have previously performed at our home games as well as additional entertainers with residencies or ties to Las Vegas that we have been in touch with throughout the year."
It was just a few hours after the Nashville Predators lost in the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs on May 10 that Underwood headed to her socials with a simple request, offering her services to the Knights:
Little did the global superstar know that this sweet tweet would stir up controversy with the regularly-scheduled Golden Knights anthem singer, Carnell "Golden Pipes" Johnson, who threw a bit of shade in Underwood's direction.
A post to his Instagram account on May 16 is a collage meme made up of four pictures. In one set, rapper Drake does a wave-off to Underwood, and below it, nods his head to Johnson at the mic, as if to say he's the "right choice."
Later that day, Johnson posted again, this time making a video to thank Vegas fans for their support as he stepped up to the mic again at Wednesday's game.
"Before I could even get my first note out, the crowd just erupted," he says in the clip. "And yes, it did bring a tear to my eye and made me real emotional. I had to pound my chest to knock back the lump in my throat."
It seems the Knights are committed to their local legends, just as Music City's Predators repeatedly choose Nashville country singers to perform the National Anthem at their games. This season alone brought Dierks Bentley, Lady Antebellum, Maren Morris and team captain Mike Fisher's wife, Underwood, to the ice.
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