2013 Top Twelve

1. Patrice Bergeron’s game-winner for the Bruins against the Maple Leafs—hear the Dave Goucher's call or from the announcers in Finland.

2. Writing to Pope Francis, asking for his opinion about Holy Donuts in Portland, ME. (Papa Francisco: Espero su respuesta.)

3. Celebrating twenty years of marriage to the AMHL Photographer.

4. Seeing my little brother, Dennis (the one with the most hockey talent in our family and an Avalanche/Michael Jackson fan) and his youth hockey pals and other punks all grown up.

5. Blue Star Donuts in Portland, OR.

6. Publishing a piece at Puck Daddy.

7. St. Andrews, NB: Our annual visit to the safe house where the protagonist in my novel plays hockey and mentioning the sea-side town in a song I wrote.

8. Learning how to play “I Wanna Drive the Zamboni” (Gear Daddies) on the guitar (I know the basics, anyway) as well as playing tunes by Canadians Michael Bublé and Bryan Adams.

9. The Bear and the Gang Christmas Spectacular: Everything from Dave Goucher’s voice to Patrice Bergeron’s Christmas present, to Dougie Hamilton’s red nose to Rene Rancourt’s toboggan ride with the Bear. Fa la la laugh out loud.

10. Tuukka Rask—two Us, two Ks… and Zdeno Chara—two goals—shut out the Flames.  This was a special game not just because Jerome Iginla’s ex-team was at the TD Garden but also because it was 80’s night: Terry O’Reilly dropped the honorary puck, and the in-game music included an a-ha moment and New Kids on the Block.

11. J.-P. Plouffe’s eccentric world where hockey, society, and art all get along (mostly).

12. Reconnecting with my AMHL friends after the Thursday Fall 2013Championship Game. 

O Canada!

“O Canada!”

I haven’t been able to get the Canadian national anthem out of my head since Sunday night.

Sporting my beige baseball cap, emblazoned with a red maple leaf, I sat down to dinner—a Smokehouse Turkey Panini—at Framingham’s Panera Bread. With my wife and an out-of-town guest, I noticed a familiar, yet bespectacled, face. A slender, middle-aged man walked to a table next to the full-length window. His hair seemed a lighter color than what I had been accustomed to, but it was still combed front to back in the style I recognized.

Nah, couldn’t be Rene Rancourt. Could it? Maybe it was the Bruins’ longtime national anthem singer. He looked smaller in person than when I’ve seen him on TV, in his tuxedo, belting out a national anthem or two. How could he not seem smaller and less animated, outside the spotlight, sitting at his table some 60 feet away from us?

I could see only his forehead hair and didn’t want to be accused of stalking a man whose identify we had not yet determined.

“What if he leaves?” someone asked.

“We’ll tackle him,” I said. “On the count of three. One…two...

…I continued chowing on my Panini, stealing glances at his head for the next 20 minutes.

Show time. I “went to the bathroom”(wink wink) but didn’t dare stare at the man and his wife, still seated. But I did see him out of the corner of my eye and was 90% sure he was Rene. I wasn’t going to confirm that inside, while they finished dinner.

My wife served as a sentinel outside the door Rancourt would most likely exit while I stood on guard for our man with the perfect hair outside the main entrance.

He and his wife pushed open the door near my wife, who signaled me to prepare to launch the mission.

“Rene Rancourt!” I shouted from 20 feet away.

I caught him with his head down, and then he looked up toward me.

“No, I’m his son,” he said, as dusk descended. “He’s much older than me.” Then he smiled and walked toward me.

After I gushed and probably blushed when telling how him how I’ve admired his passion for performing from the red carpet at the Garden/FleetCenter/TD Banknorth Garden, I executed Rancourt’s signature right-handed (never the left) salute and subsequent fist-pump.

“You made my day!” he said, shaking my hand with just as much enthusiasm as if were singing in front of 17, 565 Bruins’ fans.

Rancourt then noticed the maple leaf on my cap, assumed the performer’s position, and sang the opening to “O Canada!”