One of the things I’ve always loved about the anthems sung at hockey games is how the crowd and players all break into action before the last verse is complete. The players on the ice start to move and the fans start to cheer, clap, scream etc. It’s game-on baby now that the anthem has been sung. The wait is over. A beautifully sung anthem starts the game on a great note.
No one did it better than Roger Doucet. Remember him? He was the anthem guy at the old Forum in Montreal and no one sang with as much gusto as this cat. He did a bilingual version of the anthem and it was a beautiful thing.
I was out for dinner tonight at a neighbour’s place and we stumbled upon his memory somehow. I never saw him live but I do remember him belting it out on the TV and when he was done, the voice of Danny Galivan kicking in to stir the excitement to a boil before the puck dropped.
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