My son isn’t even 2 years old, but even he knows to stand and sing when Mark Donnelly steps to the mic before the puck drops.

Mark Donnelly, is a member of the Vancouver Opera Chorus and he is the Vancouver Canucks ace in the hole for these 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

He’s the anthem singer who doesn’t sing the whole anthem, and when it first happened in the 2002 playoffs vs the Detroit Red Wings, he was a little nervous about the tactic.

But I must confess, when it was first suggested to me in the 2002 playoffs against Detroit that I turn the mike over to you for part of “O Canada,” I was skeptical about your ability to carry the ball. After all, Canadians were not known for showing their patriotism through singing. “O Canada” was for the Legion or Canadian Forces bands. Or “the singer.” Why should I turn the mike over to what might be . . . no sound?

Brian Keating, the Hockey Night in Canada producer, said, “Well, Mark, it’s your call.” My call was to keep the mike. But an unexpected thing happened: I decided to listen to you to see if you really were singing. And guess what? You were! Was this the first time or were you singing all along? I don’t know. I guess I never stopped to listen. (I’ve been accused of that often.) Anyway, I thought, “I’ll give it a shot; I’ll give the fans the mike.”
[The Province, April 29, 2007]

Mark joined us in advance of the puck drop for Game 1 of the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs to help lead the crowd in a little magic.

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Tags: sports