This morning the Rangers lost a legend. John Amirante, who was a part of so many games and whose presence signified that a big contest was about to occur, passed away at 83 years old. Amirante, who first sang the National Anthem on November 2, 1980, was a fixture at MSG for over three decades before having his workload cut back.
It is with great sadness our Rangers family shares the loss of legendary anthem singer John Amirante, who passed away this morning at 83.
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) April 17, 2018
Our thoughts are with his wife Ann, his children and the entire Amirante family.
We will forever remember and miss John @TheGarden. pic.twitter.com/6jc2qowYhF
The video below of from Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals on June 14, 1994. As you will hear, or for those who watched it either live or on TV, the noise in the arena was deafening. Hearing Amirante was nearly impossible but his dulcet tones shone through enough to pick up parts of the National Anthem. My favorite memory of Amirante is during playoff season as he approached the last few words he would raise his arms to get the crowd stirred up into a larger frenzy, if possible, and at times, waive the playoff towels that weee handed out to each fan.
RIP good sir. Still remember watching this & the only word that could escape my mouth was “Wow.…https://t.co/39mykVtTjz
— James Cavallaro (@CavallaroJN) April 17, 2018
I was fortunate to be at his final performance at MSG, which was February 25 on Jean Ratelle night. RIP John Amirante. You will be truly missed.
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