The Sabres brought Doug Allen back to KeyBank Center on Monday night for one of the biggest games in franchise history, choosing the longtime anthem singer to perform both "O Canada" and "The Star Spangled Banner" before Game 7 against the Canadiens in Buffalo. Cami Clune was not given the anthem duty for the night.

Allen had been Buffalo's national anthem singer for decades before he stepped away in September 2021 over the team's COVID-19 vaccination policy. He said he chose not to get vaccinated, writing that he was not anti-vaccine and that he had COVID in January 2021 and believed he had natural immunity.

For fans at KeyBank Center, Allen was a familiar pregame voice from the early 1990s through his exit in 2021. He said he had sung for the Sabres for nearly 30 years, worked part-time for the team while also holding a full-time job at an auto parts store, and became known for a dramatic point to the camera and a signature tuxedo that made his performances hard to miss.

The decision to use Allen for Game 7 carried its own message. The team was not simply looking for another anthem singer; it was returning to someone who had been tied to the building for years and whose departure was driven by policy, not performance. Allen said after leaving that the organization had treated him well, and he added that he did not want to damage the relationship, leaving open the possibility that he could sing again someday.

That made Monday night more than a ceremonial booking. It was a reunion at a moment when the Sabres needed every edge and every ounce of emotion they could find, and Allen's return gave the building a familiar sound before a game that could shape how this season and this era are remembered.