Bruins Announce Rhode Island Native Todd Angilly As National Anthem Performer At Home Opener
By Matt Dolloff, 985TheSportsHub.com
The Bruins looked hard for the next Rene Rancourt over the summer. Rhode Island’s Todd Angilly will get the first crack at seizing the job.
Boston announced on Monday that Angilly, a native of Warwick, R.I. and Lynnfield, Mass. resident, will sing the American and Canadian national anthems before the B’s take on the Ottawa Senators in the 2018-19 home opener at TD Garden. Angilly, who works as a probation officer by day and bartends at TD Garden’s SportsDeck during Bruins and Celtics season, competed with 51 other finalists in live auditions to replace Rancourt, the Garden’s former longtime anthem singer who retired after the 2017-18 season.
You may recognize Angilly’s booming voice from Nov. 2, 2017, when he performed the anthem before the Bruins faced the Vegas Golden Knights. Angilly sang as a last-minute replacement after the previously planned performer couldn’t make it.
A trained opera singer who studied at the New England Conservatory of Music, Angilly also preformed the anthem for the Red Sox in 2012 and has performed for all five New England pro sports teams. You can see a video of Angilly’s audition for the Bruins at The Athletic.
The Bruins said in a press release that Angilly is merely the first out of the 52 finalists to be selected to perform the anthem, and that other performers will be announced prior to future home games. So for now, the B’s are going anthem-singer-by-committee.
Angilly can clearly belt it with the best of them, so expect an epic anthem before the Bruins kick off their home season.
Matt Dolloff is a digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff or email him at [email protected].