Rene Rancourt (born August 4, 1939) is an American singer who is best known for having performed the

national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European ...

at home games of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The t ...

for 42 years. Rancourt's final combined performance of both "

The Star-Spangled Banner "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written by American lawyer Francis Scott Key on September 14, 1814, after he witnessed the bombardment of Fort ...

" and "

O Canada "O Canada" () is the national anthem of Canada. The song was originally commissioned by Lieutenant Governor of Quebec Théodore Robitaille for the 1880 Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day ceremony; Calixa Lavallée composed the music, after which French- ...

" took place before Game 7 of the Bruins' Eastern Conference first round playoff series against the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...

on April 25, 2018. His final anthem performance, of "the Star-Spangled Banner" alone, took place on May 4, 2018, as Boston hosted Game 4 of the Eastern Conference second round series against the

Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. The Lightning compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the ...

Early life

Rancourt was born in Lewiston, Maine, the son of Léon Rancourt and Bernadette Guénette,

French Canadians French Canadians, referred to as Canadiens mainly before the nineteenth century, are an ethnic group descended from French colonists first arriving in France's colony of Canada in 1608. The vast majority of French Canadians live in the provi ...

from

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

Career

Rancourt first began singing the anthem in Boston at

Fenway Park Fenway Park is a ballpark located in Boston, Massachusetts, less than one mile from Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home field of Major League Baseball's (MLB) Boston Red Sox. While the stadium was built in 1912, it was substantia ...

. He took part in an opera singing audition on the radio and was heard by

John Kiley John Kiley (November 1, 1912 – July 15, 1993SSDI, SSN: 010-12-0234) was the organist at Braves Field from 1948 to 1952, Fenway Park from 1953 to 1989 and at the Boston Garden from 1941 to 1984. He is credited with having discovered the Boston G ...

, long-time organist at both Fenway and the

Boston Garden The Boston Garden was an arena in Boston, Massachusetts. Designed by boxing promoter Tex Rickard, who also built the third iteration of New York's Madison Square Garden, it opened on November 17, 1928, as "Boston Madison Square Garden" (later ...

. Rancourt sang before Game 6 of the

1975 World Series The 1975 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1975 season. The 72nd edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League (AL) champion Boston Red Sox and the Nati ...

when singer

Kate Smith Kathryn Elizabeth Smith (May 1, 1907 – June 17, 1986) was an American contralto. Referred to as The First Lady of Radio, Smith became well known for her renditions of "God Bless America" and "When the Moon Comes over the Mountain". She began ...

cancelled her appearance. Rancourt's original ambition had been to become an opera singer, and the strength of his trained voice overcame the acoustic shortcomings of the old Garden. In 1976, he began singing regularly for

games. Rancourt's signature fist-pump at the end of the anthem was modeled after the "Stump Pump" of former Bruin

Randy Burridge Randall H. Burridge (born January 7, 1966) is a Canadians, Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played in 706 games in the National Hockey League, scoring 199 goals along with 251 assists for a total of 450 points, while accumulati ...

, whom Rancourt admired. Rancourt also saluted at the end of the anthem, for men and women who have served in the armed forces, although it was initially inspired by an elderly fan of Rancourt. Rancourt performed the anthems before Bruins games, as well as singing at auto races, charity events and nursing homes in and around New England. He did not have a contract with the Bruins, and said, "I've never had a contract; I've always just shown up and I've become associated with the Bruins." Rancourt served in the U.S. Army in the 1960s, in which after winning a singing contest he was assigned to a GI traveling show which kept him from being sent to

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

. On January 17, 2018, the Bruins announced that Rancourt would retire at the end of the 2017–18 season. He was honored during the Bruins' last regular-season game against the

Florida Panthers The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Panthers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team initially played it ...

on April 8. His final playoff game was Game 4 of the Eastern Conference second round series against the

on May 4, 2018. Rancourt retired after the Lightning eliminated the Bruins in five games.

Post Bruins

Rancourt says he will still be singing at

weddings A wedding is a ceremony in which two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnicities, races, religions, denominations, countries, social classes, and sexual orientations. Most weddi ...

and parties, and spending more time with his wife.

References

Other sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rancourt, Rene 1939 births Living people American male singers Boston Bruins personnel People from Lewiston, Maine American people of French-Canadian descent