Major sporting events are always seen as phenomenons that can grow outside the boundaries of the sport itself – just think about the Superbowl shows for example. Another one of those large sports events that plenty of fans look forward to is the NHL Western Conference final, the Eastern and Western championship series. The finals are a special occasion, of course, and the national hockey league will often do its best to provide its viewers and crowd with a lot of entertainment.

This year, fans were surprised when none other than country music star Keith Urban arrived on stage – or should we rather say, glided onto the ice.

Urban didn’t perform one of his hit original songs such as “Blue Ain’t Your Color”, “The Fighter” or “Stupid Boy”, but decided to give his own take on an all-time classic that’s an absolute must at sports events: the national anthem of the USA, the Star-Spangled Banner. And as expected from the rockstar, Urban doesn’t disappoint. In fact, his performance has won over the entire internet and even though it was the very first time that he publicly performed the national anthem, it’s giving everyone chills.

Aside from his plenty of hit songs, albums, and no less than four Grammy awards, the country music superstar is known for a lot of other things. For example, you might see him on tv quite often as he’s both a judge for American Idol and is a coach for the Australian version of The Voice. Urban was actually born in New Zealand, but he’s a citizen of the US – so it definitely isn’t weird for him to sing the national anthem on a huge stage.

Urban is also one-half of perhaps one the most well-liked and respected couples in the entertainment industry, as he’s been married to his sweetheart Nicole Kidman since 2006. Aside from his musical talent, Keith is also known for plenty of humanitarian work.

The home crowd of the Nashville Predators isn’t a stranger to amazing performances on the ice.

Plenty of talented people and superstars have played on their rink, including Vince Gill and Carrie Underwood. Even though Keith Urban was definitely there to steal the show, we can’t forget what most people in the audience were looking forward to the most: a game between the Nashville Predators and the Anaheim Ducks at the Bridgestone Arena.

However, cheers and roars erupted as soon as Urban walked on the ice wearing a custom classic yellow jersey the Predators wear.

The next moments can hardly be described with words, as the arena becomes silent and all you can hear is Urban singing the first few notes of the national anthem. His crisp and powerful voice truly fills the entire room, and his passion and energy become more noticeable as the song goes on.

When he sings “Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave,” the audience can’t really stay silent as they erupt in noticeable cheers. The whole performance also ended on a bang thanks to the amazing crowd.

Performing the Star-Spangled Banner meant a lot to Urban.

“I’ve lived in America 25 years, I’ve never been asked to sing the national anthem. It was such an honor to do it here in Nashville for the Preds,” Keith Urban told Jon Morosi from NHL Network.

“It’s a nerve-wracking experience, but above all it’s a huge honor. For me, for all the years I’ve lived here, one of the proudest moments ever in my life.”

Check out Keith Urban’s amazing performance of the national anthem below!

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

Source: SPORTSNET, Taste of Country, NHL Network