Everything about Rene Rancourt totally explained
Rene Rancourt (born
1939 in
Lewiston, Maine) is a professional singer. He has sung the
U.S. and
Canadian national anthems at
Boston Bruins home
hockey games for over 30 years. Rancourt is such a part of the Bruins' establishment that he's the only person mentioned by name in the
Dropkick Murphys' song: "Time to Go". He doesn't 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 an
opera singing audition on the
radio and was heard by
John Kiley, long-time
organist at both Fenway and the Boston Garden. Rancourt sang before Game Six of the
World Series in
1975 when singer
Kate 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 old
Boston 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 hasn't 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 of
Thundersticks from the sold out
TD Banknorth Garden crowd of 17,565, which was in retaliation to the boos that the American national anthem received in
Montreal.
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