Watch Metallica Totally Shred the National Anthem at Stanley Cup Finals (Video)

If you think it’s hard to perform “The Star-Spangled Banner,” then what about doing it in on an ice rink with electric guitars in front of thousands?

That’s exactly what James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett from Metallica did Monday night ahead of the game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and San Jose Sharks.

And the band killed it.

The veteran rockers teamed up before Game 4, as Hammett delivered the national anthem’s main melody and Hetfield added reinforcement for a very unique version of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Showing considerable bias to the home team, both musicians wore No. 81 Sharks jerseys with their names on the backs. Hetfield is from Downey, California, and Hammett hails from San Francisco, just 50 miles north of San Jose.

But even the support of the hard rockers couldn’t help the Bay Area team. San Jose lost the game, 3-1.

And while Hetfield is a hell of a guitarist and singer, he’s not very good at predicting the outcome of a game. “We’re gonna win tonight, the Sharks are gonna win tonight, that’s how it is. We’re going to do all we can to help that out and see this team go the distance,” he told the NHL Network before the puck dropped.

At least their presence Monday had one positive impact: The band auctioned off signed guitars for charity.

The Penguins now lead the series 3-1 as they head back to Pittsburgh Thursday for Game 4, which will air on NBC.

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