The national anthem will sound a little different at TD Garden next season.
Rene Rancourt has been performing the national anthems prior to Boston Bruins games for more than 40 years, but the B’s announced Wednesday that he will retire at the end of this season.
The 78-year-old Maine native first began singing the anthem at Bruins games in 1975, and his signature fist-bump and exuberant performances on a nightly basis gave him both regional and national notoriety.
Among many notable performances, possibly his most memorable came in April 2013 in the Bruins’ first home game after the Boston Marathon bombings, when the entire Garden crowd sang in unison with him in the emotional pregame ceremony.
In the release announcing the news, the Bruins noted they will do a celebration of Rancourt during the team’s final regular-season home game on April 8.
