BOSTON — Lewiston native Rene Rancourt, the tuxedoed troubadour who has sung the national anthem before Boston Bruins games for more than 40 years, announced on Wednesday that he will retire at the end of the season.
The 78-year-old trained opera singer began singing the “Star-Spangled Banner” at Red Sox games and took over the U.S. and Canadian anthems at Bruins games during the 1975-76 season. He ends his performance with a signature fist pump he modeled after Bruins forward Randy Burridge.
Rancourt performed the anthem on April 17, 2013, for the first sporting event in the city after the Boston Marathon bombing. He sang the first few words and then allowed the crowd to take over.
[media-credit id=297 align=”alignnone” width=”300″][/media-credit]
Copy the Story Link“Mother Nature is calling.”
Rene Rancourt addresses his upcoming retirement in a can’t-miss press conference (yes, there is singing). pic.twitter.com/aZMGztxiy4
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) January 18, 2018
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.