Bruins Announce Anthem Singer Rene Rancourt’s Retirement
The Boston Bruins announced on Wednesday that longtime national anthem singer Rene Rancourt will retire at the end of the season.
Rene Rancourt sings the national anthem before a game between the Boston Bruins and the New Jersey Devils at TD Garden on Oct. 20, 2016 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
(Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)A big day for the Boston Bruins just got even bigger. The team announced on Wednesday that longtime national anthem singer Rene Rancourt will retire at the end of the 2017-18 season.
Rancourt is expected to meet with reporters during the first intermission when the Bruins play the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night at TD Garden in Boston.
The Bruins' anthem singer at home games since the 1975-76 season, Rancourt is well-known for his post-anthem fist-pumps. He modeled the move after the "Stump Pump" of ex-Bruins winger Randy Burridge.
Rene Rancourt: A Brief History
Known for his distinctive operatic singing voice, Rancourt is a trained opera singer who got his start performing the anthem for the Red Sox. He famously sang the first words of the national anthem before letting the crowd take over at a game on April 17, 2013, just two days after the Boston Marathon bombing.
A native of Lewiston, Maine, Rancourt is also a veteran of the U.S. Army.
Rancourt's final regular season national anthem performance happens on April 8 when the Bruins play the Florida Panthers in a rescheduled game. The team will honor him for his four-plus decades of service that day.
