By Sarah DeWolfe | Staff Writer
Just before the Boston Bruins’ final regular season game last Sunday, 78-year-old Rene Rancourt took to center ice in his usual tux and bowtie ensemble and belted out the national anthem just as he had been doing since 1975. Only this time, Rancourt is calling it a career.
After the 2016-17 season, Rene Rancourt will officially retire as the voice of the Bruins. He is equally as known for belting out “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “O Canada” as he is for his signature fist pumps after belting them out. The kicker: he doesn’t even have a contract with the Bruins. He just showed up for every home game for 42 years.
On why he decided to retire, Rancourt said, “As the years go on, it becomes harder and harder to give the national anthem the performance that it deserves.”
Rancourt, a Lewiston, Maine native, was trained as an opera singer when the organist for Fenway heard him on the radio in an audition. In game 6 of the 1975 World Series, the anthem singer cancelled, and Rene Rancourt came to Fenway’s rescue. The Boston Bruins took notice, and the rest is history.
Before his voice defined his career, Rancourt studied at Boston University’s School of Fine Arts where, he admitted, the hockey rink wasn’t his scene. He is also a military veteran.
One of his most memorable performances came two days after the Boston Marathon Bombings in 2013. He sang the first couple words to the anthem and then let the crowd finish the rest, in a brilliant and chilling display of unity.
Rancourt says he will be spending his time off with his wife, but if you ever want to hear him sing again he will still be singing at weddings and parties. Although he’ll still be around to sing in the postseason, it’s truly the end of an era for Bruins fans.
