Boston Bruins fans are up in arms over the organization's announcement that Aerosmith's and American Idol's Steven Tyler will be crooning the national anthem during tonight's home opener, instead of fistpumping and anthem singing Garden institution Rene Rancourt.
↵Bruins blog Days of Y'orr profiles quite a number of fan complaints about the decision in a post Thursday:
↵↵↵"If Stephen Tyler does the Rene Rancourt Fistpump, is that good enough? No it is not. #WeWantRancourt" - @HBAdventure
↵"I will book Steven Tyler tomorrow before the anthem and may attempt to start Rene Rancourt chant." - @goobiegoal
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The blog does mention that the substitution seems to be for charity's sake (the Boston Bruins foundation is raffling off a motorcycle from Tyler's motorcycle venture), but Bruins fans aren't buying the change. To kick off a season right, Days of Y'orr and many Bruins fans online state that Rancourt is the obvious option for the anthem:
↵↵↵"We're talking about the opening home game, here. Where's the respect? Where's the love? We're talking Bruins tradition here."
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In 2004, Rancourt himself told the Boston Globe that he disliked the practice of celebrities singing the anthem at games:
↵↵"As a classically trained singer, Rancourt dislikes the practice of inviting celebrities to sing the anthem before national sporting events. He considers the anthem a patriotic ode that should be performed with restraint and pride. ''It turns me off when I hear a song stylist interpret their own version of the anthem," he said.
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