Hockey players belt out 'Sweet Caroline' during power outage at Cape Breton hockey tournament
Two opposing teams singing the Neil Diamond classic “Sweet Caroline” together in the hallway wasn't what anyone expected at the Red Cup Showcase high school hockey tournament in Cape Breton over the weekend.
The County Arena in Coxheath, N.S., went dark that Saturday morning in the opening minute of a game between the Memorial Marauders and Horton High.
As the temperature went down, the music -- and the mood -- got turned up.
"Power went out 30 seconds in. Might as well start a party in the hallway,” said Memorial Marauders player Hudson McGean. "So I [brought] out the speaker and started dancing, buddy."
"When it started, their goalie had come down and he started their train, I think. Then the whole team came and we all started singing together,” explained Marauders captain Daniel Young.
The video has received thousands of shares and likes online.
"You know what? I'm not the least bit surprised, because they're a very good group of young men,” said Memorial head coach Marc Lyle.
The general consensus seems to be that this was a sweet show of sportsmanship.
Lyle said his message has long been that the student-athlete experience is about more than just hockey.
"Go out there and make some memories,” Lyle said. “Have fun. I think that's definitely something they did this weekend. And I think they have a story they can tell for the rest of their lives."
Some are surprised that teens would know most of the words to a song that's more than 50 years old.
Athough a member of the Horton team reportedly requested it, “Sweet Caroline” has held a special meaning to Memorial all season long.
“Every time we win a home game in our rink, we play it in the dressing room,” Young said.
Hockey purists might argue opposing teams aren't supposed to be so friendly.
"You can't be a rival when you play 30 seconds into the game,” McGean said with a shrug.
The power eventually came back on and Horton won 7-2.
"It's a good thing they remember the video and not the score,” McGean joked.
Even Monday at Memorial High School in Sydney Mines, N.S., where the video was all the talk, the players’ respect for their hallway karaoke partners carried on.
"Those guys were a good team all around. Good group of guys too,” Young said.
The Red Cup was eventually won by Dr. J.H. Gillis of Antigonish, N.S., beating the host Riverview Ravens in Sunday’s final.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.