Shuffling off

No, not this mortal coil, just as far as Buffalo

I WON’T, AS I’VE written here before, voluntarily put money into the American economy. I certainly won’t cross the border as long as the current regime is in place.

And perhaps a good deal longer than that. Old wounds don’t heal overnight.

So I’m unlikely to be visiting any time soon. But, as I’ve also written here, I do miss Buffalo.

It’s only 160 kilometres from Toronto; less than a two-hour drive, depending on traffic and how hard a time the US customs and immigration goons give you.

The city is a little gem, with a reputation for down-at-heel grittiness that it doesn’t deserve. It has a great restaurant scene, terrific galleries, all the culture you could wish for, and some amazing architecture.

Its broad, park-like streets, lined with bravura 19th century mansions — at one time, Buffalo had more millionaires per capita than any other American city — were laid out by Frederick Law Olmsted, mastermind of New York City’s Central Park.

Buffalo makes for an ideal weekend getaway or a manageable day trip for Torontonians. Lesley and I have done both, several times.

Canadian sports fans do that a great deal less these days. But it used to be commonplace. They’d go either to watch the Buffalo Bills, who compete in the US National Football League

(Toronto has the Argonauts, who play in the Canadian Football League. Leagues apart, in more ways than one.)

or to see the Toronto Maple Leafs play the Buffalo Sabres in the National Hockey League. That’s ice-hockey to non-North Americans. The NHL is as good as it gets.

We get a good many American football and hockey teams playing here. Games invariably are preceded by the two national anthems, often sung by a local celebrity.

After Trump began trying to bully us into some kind of submission, Canadian fans took to booing The Star-Spangled Banner. Not particularly edifying, but understandable. I’d do it myself.

In return, of course, American fans started booing O Canada.

Because of Buffalo’s close proximity to the border, the Sabres, unlike other US NHL teams, play both anthems no matter who they’re playing.

Last night, they were at home to the Boston Bruins.

Buffalo-born singer/songwriter Cami Clune was only a few bars into O Canada when her microphone started cutting out. What happened next goes a long way to renewing your faith in humanity as a whole, if not its leaders.

Unprompted, the Sabres crowd burst into song and finished our anthem, belting it out pretty much word-perfect.

I think we can guarantee that when the team next has a game in Toronto against the Maples Leafs, The Star-Spangled Banner will be received respectfully. And quite possibly sung by everyone.

Watching the video sends shivers up my spine.

Makes me want to go back to Buffalo.

Makes me hate even more the oligarchy that makes it a moral impossibility.

One of these days, I tell myself. One of these days.