Watch: Crowd Sings National Anthem After Singer Forgets His Microphone

The fans really bailed him out on this one.

Leo Welsh has been the Blue Jackets’ main anthem singer since winning a contest in 2003. He might be the most qualified person for the job, having graduated from Ohio University in 2003 with a voice degree and sung for Opera Columbus. But things went terribly wrong before Saturday night’s game against the Rangers. 

Whether he forgot it or a staffer failed to give him one, Welsh took the ice without a microphone in his hand. He pantomimed holding a mic and then touched his chin quizzically, unsure how to proceed. But luckily for Welsh, the crowd in Columbus was more than happy to bail him out. 

Welsh tweeted a thank you to the fans after the game. 

Thank you #5thLine. Really needed you there and you came through. #CBJ

— Leo Welsh (@LeoWelsh) January 13, 2019

Up until this weekend, Welsh’s biggest fear was forgetting the words to the Canadian anthem. 

“So far I’ve been lucky,” Welsh told the Columbus Post-Dispatch in a 2008 interview when asked if he’s ever messed up the anthem. “During O’ Canada, I will read the words on the (center ice) scoreboard so I don’t screw them up. Friends tell me they’re looking forward to seeing me one day on SportsCenter. I really don’t get nervous.”

He didn’t even get nervous when he was missing his most important piece of equipment. That’s a real pro.