- Rene Rancourt
Rene Rancourt (born
1939 inLewiston, Maine ) is a professional singer. He has sung the U.S. and Canadian national anthems atBoston Bruins homehockey games for over 30 years. Rancourt is such a part of the Bruins' establishment that he is the only person mentioned by name in theDropkick Murphys ' song: "Time to Go". He does not have a contract with the Bruins. According to Rancourt, "I’ve never had a contract; I’ve always just shown up and I’ve become associated with the Bruins."Rancourt first began singing the anthem in Boston at
Fenway Park . He took part in anopera singing audition on theradio and was heard byJohn Kiley , long-timeorganist at both Fenway and the Boston Garden. Rancourt sang before Game Six of the World Series in1975 when singerKate Smith cancelled her appearance. Rancourt's ambition was to become an opera singer. The strength of his trained voice overcame the acoustic shortcomings of the oldBoston Garden . In 1976, he began singing regularly for Bruins games.Rancourt's signature fist-pump at the end of the anthem was modeled after the
Stump Pump of former Bruin,Randy Burridge , whom Rancourt admired. Rancourt also salutes at the end of the anthem.Rancourt still performs the anthem before Bruins games, as well as singing at auto races, charity events, and nursing homes in and around New England. Rancourt has not publicly revealed his age, although a 2004 "
Boston Globe " article gives his age as 60-something.In the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2004 between the Bruins and the
Montreal Canadiens , two of hockey's "Original Six ," Rancourt's rendition of "O Canada " was drowned out with cheers and the banging ofThundersticks from the sold outTD Banknorth Garden crowd of 17,565, which was in retaliation to the boos that the American national anthem received inMontreal .External links
* [http://www.boston.com/sports/hockey/bruins/articles/2004/12/02/bruins_singer_misses_his_gig "Bruins Singer Misses His Gig", Alison O'Leary Murray, Boston Globe, December 2, 2004]
* [http://www.bostonsportsreview.com/200610_story_qa.asp "Bruins national anthem singer Rene Rancourt" by Bill Keefe, Boston Sports Review, October 2006]
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