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Going to a Bruins game has its traditions: Getting hassled by scalpers on the way in, seeing "Jesus Saves" guy outside of the Garden, waiting at the bottom of the escalators because one if closed for who knows why, and seeing Rene Rancourt sing the national anthem.
I say "seeing" because with Rancourt, his performance is as visual as it is auditory. The salutes, the fist pumps, the facial expressions: all perfectly "Rene."
Rancourt has been singing the national anthem for as long as I've been alive, and is a true Bruin institution. VICE Sports' Joshua Kloke wrote a great profile of Rancourt that was published last week. It's worth a read for a number of reasons, including:
- A Red Sox-related note on how Rancourt got his gig with the Bruins
- The inspiration for his fist pumps
- A quote from our very own Sarah Connors (woo!)
However, the most noteworthy aspect of the piece for Bruins fans comes towards the end. From the VICE Sports article:
The retirement discussion is one that Rancourt has daily, whether it's with his wife or with himself."Maybe next year," he says quietly, showing no interest in discussing an exact retirement date.
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
If Rene is ready to be done, then it'd be great for him to go out on his own terms. However, if he wants to stick around for a few more of these...
...that'd be A-OK with the majority of Bruins fans.
Source: VICE Sports