VIDEO: Montreal Canadiens anthem guy sings at a tavern

I thought this was cool - Charles Prevost Linton, who sings the national anthems at most Montreal Canadiens games, sings the anthem at a Montreal tavern before an away game:



Also, I love the vintage pics of Charles on his web page.

(Thanks to Stuntman Stu for the video tip.)

Celebrity anthems: Grateful Dead

San Francisco Giants, 1993:



(via Boing Boing)

How Roger Doucet wrote the Soviet National Anthem

One of my fave blogs these days is Greatest Hockey Legends. Every day they post a great piece about some nugget of hockey history -- both on-ice and off-ice. Recently they posted this piece about Roger Doucet, the legendary anthem singer of the Montreal Canadiens.

In the summer of 1976 Doucet was asked to sing the national anthems at the new Canada Cup tournament. He was familiar with the American and of course Canadian anthems, but needed to learn the songs of the four European countries.

He contacted the Department of External Affairs and they easily got him the lyrics for Sweden, Finland and Czechoslovakia, but there was a problem with the Soviet Union anthem - there were no words!

It seems the original words in The Hymn Of The Soviet Union were quietly dropped after 1956 because of all the references to dictator Josef Stalin. Doucet was advised to "hum the anthem very loudly."

That didn't sit too well with the proud singer. Somehow he unearthed a copy of the Stalinist lyrics. Since he could not spead or read Russian, he handed it to the Russian department at the University of Montreal, and asked them to "fix them up."

Before the Soviet Union-Czechslovakia game at the Canada Cup, Doucet showed Soviet team officials the rewritten lyrics. They had no objections, and Doucet sang the all new Hymn of the Soviet Union. With the game being broadcasted back home, the Russian fans must have been shocked to hear the new anthem.

In 1977 the Soviet Parliament adopted the new lyrics.

Read the entire article...

Leafs crowd sings the anthem a capella

No anthem singer tonight in Toronto for the season opener vs. Montreal. The fans sang the anthem - cool.

(saw this on Kukla's Korner)

NHL National Anthems: The Final Four

This post is for my 3-year-old daughter, who stays up late each night so that she can watch the anthems. Her favourite is Jeff Jimmerson, with Katherine Fritsch a close second.

The final four national anthem singers in the 2009 playoffs -- 2 guys, 2 gals, 4 different styles, all great singers.

1. Pittsburgh Penguins - Jeff Jimmerson
   First performance for the Pens was in December 1990. Has been a regular with the Pens since the mid 1990s. Performs in local band Airborne. Appeared in the film "Sudden Death", playing himself.
   Video: Youtube
   Article: Anthem singer fires up Mellon crowd (TribLIVE)
   Other: Jeff Jimmerson Fan Club via Facebook
   
   
2. Carolina Hurricanes - Katherine Fritsch
   10 years old, in her second season with the Hurricanes. First sang with the 'Canes back in 2006-07. Took over from Holly Wilver, a former Hurricanes Storm Squad member. Discovered by 'Canes staff at the Jimmy V Junior Golf Classic. Wants to be a vet when she grows up.
   
   Video: Youtube
   Articles: NC Spin Online, Canes Country
   
   
3. Detroit Red Wings - Karen Newman
   Has been singing with the Red Wings for over 15 years. Before that she was a multiple winner on Ed McMahon's Star Search, sang backup with Kid Rock and Bob Seger. Has released a few cd's, including a holiday album. Was once a hairstylist and has a twin sister, Kathy.
   
   Video: MySpace
   Articles: Wikipedia, Kukla's Korner
   Other: Karen on Facebook, Karen on Myspace
   
   
4. Chicago Blackhawks - Jim Cornelison (singer) & Frank Pellico (organist)
   From NHL.com: "Chicago's anthem tradition began during the 1985 conference finals against Edmonton. After dropping the first two games of the series on the road, Hawks fans entered Chicago Stadium on May 9 fully energized and ready to help their team get back into the series. The crowd was so excited they cheered all the way through the National Anthem — and the tradition stuck."
   
   Jim Cornelison is a former professional opera singer, coaches basketball in his spare time, and is currently a real estate agent in Chicago with Rubloff Residential Properties. He's been a professional singer since 1993. Sung off-and-on with the Blackhawks since 1995. Has been the full-time singer for the Hawks since the start of the 2008-09 season.
   
   Pellico is 66 years old and has been playing the organ for the Blackhawks since 1991. He's also played for the Chicago Cubs. He plays a custom-designed Allen organ, installed in the United Centre to replicate the original Barton organ at Chicago Stadium. Cool link: Pellico & roller rinks.
   
   Articles: Jim Cornelison, Frank Pellico
   Video: Anthem, A night in the life of Jim, Frank Pellico, Blackhawks organist
   Also: Jim's YouTube channel (includes full bio + videos)
   

The 10 worst national anthem performances of all time

Time Magazine counts down the 10 worst national anthem performances of all time. Most of them are from pro sports.

• Roseanne Barr
• R. Kelly
• Carl Lewis
• Michael Bolton
• Hockey Girl
• Chattanooga Police Officer
• Hillary Clinton
• Kat DeLuna
• Anonymous, Enthusiastic Man
• High School Homecoming
  

Also from Time: Top 10 worst first pitches

1952: Conn Smythe tells players to stop chewing gum during the national anthem

Memo from Conn Smythe directing coaches to prohibit the chewing of gum
during the national anthem, December 3, 1952
Conn Smythe fonds
Reference Code: F 223-3-1-45
Archives of Ontario


Full text:

December 3, 1952

Mr. J. Primeau,
Mr. Stafford Smythe,
Father Faught,

Gentlemen:

There has been considerable criticism of the conduct of the individual players during the playing of the National ANthem.

It would be greatly appreciated if you would instruct your players to stand at attention, refrain from chewing gum and any other movements during this ceremony.

Yours very truly,

Conn Smythe,
President.

CS/McD

National Anthems in sports - patriotism on display

Two videos that are good examples of patriotism on display during the singing of the National Anthem in sports.

First, from the Chicago Blackhawks, at the 1991 NHL All-Star game. Fans show their support for troops in the Gulf War:


Second, from the Edmonton Oilers during their 2006 playoff run. The fans belt out the anthem - no singer, just fans:

L.A. Kings anthem singer Gloria Loring: "She was worth a goal"

Here's a fun story from Don Cherry's excellent new book, "Don Cherry's Hockey Stories and Stuff", about Gloria Loring, the anthem singer for the L.A Kings (late 1970's? early 1980's?).

We go into LA and in those days, everybody knew Gloria Loring. She was married to Alan Thicke.

She sang the anthems before the games, but she would not sing until the crowd went nuts. She’d stand there while they got all worked up. They loved her. She was worth a goal, she really was. I just happened to say to Frosty Forristal, one of our trainers, “Gee, she gets them all worked up. She’s worth a goal.”

He says, “Yeah.” I didn’t know what he was talkin’ about.

In those days, you had to have a cord for the microphone. They didn’t have the cordless ones like they do now.

So she gets to centre ice and the crowd is all worked up and she lifts the mike and starts to sing, and there’s silence!
Now the crowd dies down and one of the workers comes out. But he can’t fix it and she has to go over and sit in the penalty box and sing using the announcer’s mike.

It ruined her whole thing.

Frosty had crawled underneath the seats and cut the wire!

We won the game.

[Co-writer Al Strachan’s note]: A few years later, when the Edmonton Oilers were taking on the Kings in a playoff game in the same building, Don was working for Hockey Night in Canada and told this story to Oilers coach Glen Sather.

Oddly enough, before the game the next night, the cord got cut again. Sather denied any involvement.

Fun fact: Gloria Loring and Alan Thicke co-composed the theme song for tv's "The Facts of Life", and Gloria sang on the track.

Here's a video of Gloria singing at an L.A. Raiders game.

Ted Leonsis on national anthem etiquette

Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis says:

We should be more respectful when the National Anthem is sung. Taking off your hat is the right gesture. NOT screaming “RED” or “O” is also the right thing to do. Placing your hand on your heart or giving a military salute is also appropriate.

The only thing that I would love to see and hear is what happens in Chicago is the deep and roaring applause all the way through the National Anthem as a true sign of encouragement and respect. That would be a great thing for our fans to do. Let us start a new tradition, what do you say?

VIDEO: Roger Doucet: Montreal Canadiens anthem singer

Here's a video of Roger Doucet, the legendary Montreal Canadiens anthem singer. He also sang for the Montreal Expos and Montreal Alouettes.



A bit more about Roger Doucet from the Canadian Encyclopedia:

Roger Doucet. Tenor, b Montreal 21 Apr 1919, d there 19 Jul 1981. As a boy, he sang at the Immaculée-Conception Church. The choir director, Émile Fontaine, gave him his first music lessons 1929-33 at the École St-François-Xavier. He studied voice 1938-40 with Céline Marier and Georges Toupin, 1940-1 with Sarah Fischer, and 1941-3 with Albertine Morin-Labrecque and participated during this time in amateur competitions. This led to engagements in several Montreal cabarets, including the Faisan bleu, the Casino Bellevue, and the Montmartre. Doucet later became a member of The Army Show, with which he toured Canada twice and visited several European countries. He left the army with the rank of sergeant and on his re-establishment allowance from the Department of Veterans' Affairs studied 1946-9 with Alfredo Martino at the New York College of Music.

Doucet continued his career in cabarets and on radio, taking part in the CBC opera broadcasts called 'Théâtre lyrique Molson'. On CBC TV's 'L'Heure du concert' he sang in excerpts from various operas, including The Barber of Seville (Count Almaviva), Les Pêcheurs de perles (Nadir), and Roméo et Juliette (Roméo). For the COC he was the Duke in Rigoletto (1950), the Prince in The Love of Three Oranges (1959), and Fenton in Nicolai's The Merry Wives of Windsor (touring production, 1960). During a European sojourn 1955-7, he sang in Le Comte Ory at the Glyndebourne Festival and broadcast for the BBC in London and for the NDR in Hamburg. From 1971 until his death he sang 'O Canada' at televised hockey games in the Montreal Forum. He began doing the same for the Alouettes' football games in 1974 and the Expos' baseball games in 1977. In 1980 he was made a Member of the Order of Canada.

And here's another video of Mr. Doucet from the National Film Board of Canada:

Curiously, he changes the final english lyric to:
"O Canada, glorious and free / We stand on guard, we stand on guard for thee"
Usually it's sung as: "God keep our land glorious and free / O Canada we stand on guard for thee"

Kate Smith sings the anthem again in Philadelphia

From the National Post (as seen on KuklasKorner) ... the spirit of Kate Smith fills Wachovia Centre again this year in the playoffs.

More than 20 years after her death, the Philadelphia Flyers continue to channel the spirit of singer Kate Smith.

Born in 1907, Smith was a famous broadway, stage and radio singer whose name became synonymous with the song God Bless America after she sung it to glowing reviews on Armistice Day in 1938.

Even the song’s composer considered it sappy but in the hands of Smith, a big lady with a bigger voice, the song stirred patriotic feelings at a time when many Americans wanted nothing to do with the simmering conflict in Europe.

Years later, Flyers president Lou Schienfield hoped to tap into these patriotic feelings when he ordered Smith’s rendition of the song to be played prior to a Flyers game on Dec. 11, 1969, in lieu of The Star Spangled Banner.

The switch angered some but the Flyers beat Toronto 6-3 that night, and the Flyers soon developed a penchant for winning on nights when Smith’s song was played.

According to the fan Web site www.flyershistory.com, Philadelphia went 19-1-1 over the next three years when Smith’s song was played and 31-38-28 when it was left on the record shelf.

Smith’s first of four live performances at Flyers games did not happen until the home-opener of the 1973-74 season, a Stanley Cup year for the Flyers.

Click here to see a youtube video of Smith’s performance prior to the Flyers Stanley Cup-clinching victory over the Bruins on May 19, 1974.

The team turned to Smith again the following season, when she sang prior to a Game 7 semi-final win over the Islanders en route to Philadelphia’s second straight Stanley Cup.

Smith’s last live performance at a Flyers game was on May 16, 1976, a 5-3 loss to the Canadiens in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals. The win completed a 4-0 sweep of the Flyers and started a run of four straight Cup wins for the Canadiens.

The Flyers erected a statue outside the Spectrum in tribute to Smith in 1987 — a year after her death — in honour of her role as the team’s eternal good luck charm.

Singer Lauren Hart sang God Bless America at the Wachovia Center prior to Monday’s Game 3 of the East semi-final, but it was accompanied by film of Smith’s performances from the Flyers' Stanley Cup years.

The Flyers beat Montreal 3-2 on Monday to take a 2-1 series lead, proving perhaps that Smith’s song has not lost its magic when it comes to spurring on the Broad Street Bullies.

Check out some Lauren Hart & Kate Smith duet videos here.

Sharks fans boo Stars during the anthem

While we're not a fan of booing during the national anthems, there was a funny moment in San Jose tonight. Each time the anthem singer sang "STARS" or "STAR", the fans booed. I guess they were turning the Stars home ice anthem tradition on its head.

All about Doug Allen, Buffalo's anthem singer

There's a nice article on NHL.com about Doug Allen, the anthem singer for the Buffalo Sabres. He'll be singing the Canadian national anthem at today's Winter Classic outdoor hockey game. An excerpt:

Doug Allen hits all the right notes when he sings the national anthems at Buffalo Sabres home games.

He does even more good at his day job, as the maintenance supervisor at Cornerstone Manor, a facility that gives shelter to Buffalo’s homeless women and children. It’s affiliated with Buffalo City Manor, which shelters homeless men.

“I take care of the building,” said Allen. “I fix things when they break, I take care of service calls. I do some work on the floor, some of the heavier work that the ladies might not be able to do.

...

Allen has been a wonderful sight for Sabres fans, who have enjoyed Allen’s work over the last 15 years. Allen does most Sabres home games, with the exception of Wednesday and Sunday nights, when commitments to his other love, his church, force him to be elsewhere. He’s the worship leader and music director at Big Tree Wesleyan in nearby Blasdell, N.Y.

Allen is looking forward to singing the Canadian anthem prior to The AMP Energy NHL Winter Classic on New Year’s Day. It’s a little less work than he’s used to, but Allen said he has no problem ceding some of his duties to famed Irish tenor Ronan Tynan, who will sing God Bless America.

Read the entire article...

Link round-up, post-playoff edition

Now that we have a bit of free time on our hands after the end of the Stanley Cup Final, here are a few "recommended reading" links that have piled up \over the past couple months:

• GameOps.com interviews Benjamin Hill, who covers the "wacky minor league baseball promotions" beat for MLB.com. Read about a mustache growing contest, a salute to indoor plumbing, and a bobblehead giveaway featuring the local Catholic Diocese bishop. We're not making this up.
  
  
• National anthems: On NBCSports.com, Eric McErlain makes the case for playing both the U.S. and Canadian anthems before every NHL game. They've been doing it in Buffalo since 1970, why not everywhere else?
  
  
• Here's a list of sports teams that have Build-A-Bear outlets inside their stadiums. Example: Build your own Phillie Phanatic at Citizens Bank Park.
  
  
• Video: Visit the The N.J. Devil mascot page, and check out the "N.J. Devil Shopping" video. It's a very funny trip to the local Walmart.
  
  
• News: Lots of new attractions added to Pittsburgh's PNC Park this season, including a new video scoreboard twice as big as the old one, new food & beverages, and a new & bigger jolly roger flag that will be raised each time the Pirates win.
  
  
• Fun promos: Charlotte Knights join Sheryl Crow to help the environment Crow recently announced on her web site that everyone should use less toilet paper, and suggested a “one square per restroom visit” limit. In honor of Crow, the team hosted “TP Night at the Ballpark” at their May 24 game. Fans who brought a roll of toilet paper received $1 off the ticket price. Every roll of toilet paper was donated to a local shelter. (via GameOps.com)
  
  
• Fun promos: You've heard of hoceky hat tricks, now the Long Beach Ice Dogs have introduced the Golden Sombrero for 4-goal games. (via GameOps.com)
  
  
• News: Texas Rangers launch a "ball girl" program similar to hockey's "ice girls", but not quite cheerleading for baseball (via GameOps.com)
  
  
• Video: Cleveland Cavaliers Scream Team (via GameOps.com)
  

New York Post re: O Canada

From a New York Post blog:

"In my opinion, the Canadian national anthem should be sung at all hockey games in North America. I love "O Canada"; it's a great tune and a rousing anthem. It signifies a country and its spirit well, and hearing it really gets me fired up. Sure, I've got Canuck heritage, but objectively I think it's hard to deny that it has a place in hockey. Singing "O Canada" is paying homage to the place that gave us such a great sort and so many great players...

The Phoenix Coyotes used to be the Winnipeg Jets. Sing "O Canada" there. Detroit is right across the river from Windsor, Ontario. I think it's crazy if they don't sing "O Canada" at the Joe. Sing it everywhere; Florida, California ... Nashville ... because — to adapt a cliche — even if you take all the hockey teams out of Canada, you'll never take the Canada out of hockey."

(via Kukla's Korner)

NHL anthem singers we like

• Lyndon Slewidge, Ottawa Senators
• Lauren Hart, Philadelphia Flyers
• Paul Lorieau, Edmonton Oilers
• Doug Allen, Buffalo Sabres

Doug gets added to the list after his performance tonight at HSBC Arena, before Game 1 of the Buffalo-New York series. He was accompanied by the arena organist, and sang at a nice, quick tempo. He doesn't mess with the melody, and sings with authority and excitement. And best of all, they always sing both the U.S. and Canadian anthems before every game - regardless of which teams are playing. What a great way to start a game.

BONUS NON-HOCKEY ANTHEM VIDEO: Marvin Gaye sings the anthem at the 1983 NBA All-Star Game.

O Canada sung in Cree at Calgary Flames game

From cbc.ca:

A 13-year-old Alberta girl is about to make NHL history, when she becomes the first person to sing O Canada before a game in Cree.

Akina Shirt, who lives in Edmonton but is originally from the Saddle Lake First Nation, will sing the national anthem in Cree before the puck drops for the Calgary Flames-Vancouver Canucks game on Saturday night.

Interview with Karen Newman, Detroit Red Wings anthem singer

From Kukla's Korner, here's an interview with Karen Newman, anthem singer for the Detroit Red Wings. Karen has been singing the anthem for 14 seasons with the Red Wings, after being spotted at a Detroit Pistons game.

Previous: GameOps.com: The pulse on national anthems

Flyers use Kate Smith anthem for good luck

The Philadelphia Flyers are sommuning the ghost of Kate Smith to bring them good luck in their series versus Buffalo.

From the National Post:

Kate Smith has been dead for 30 years, but that hasn't stopped the Flyers from digging up their unusual good luck charm whenever the team is in dire need of a win.

It worked on Wednesday. After Philadelphia had lost the opening two games against the Sabres in Buffalo, a recorded version of Smith singing God Bless America was shown on the Wachovia Center's JumboTron, while Lauren Hart (the daughter of the Flyers' late announcer, Gene) accompanied her live. The Flyers won that game 4-2 to improve to 68-17-3 with Smith's vocals leading the way.

Read the full article...