1,450.
That is the number of times Paul Lorieau estimates that he has sung O Canada over the past 30 years, from the beginning of his career in 1981 to its end on April 8, 2011.
And just as no two snowflakes are ever exactly alike, Lorieau says that no two performances of the national anthem were ever the same.
Lorieau uses terms like “metaphysical” and even “mystical” in describing what it was like to sing the national anthem at the start of Edmonton Oilers games over the past 30 years, almost as though he were discussing a spiritual revelation.
But how would he describe the night of his final performance?
“Bittersweet,” he says simply.
Although he lives now in Edmonton, the noted hockey icon originally hails from the town of Legal.
His father came to Canada from France in 1914, and his mother came from Quebec in 1920.
Lorieau was the youngest of seven children, spending his first few years on the family farm before they moved into town.
Music ran in the family; his father was a natural tenor. One sister was an accomplished pianist who had an “uncanny” talent as an accompanist, and another was a soprano. Two of his brothers were bass and tenors respectively.
It is important to note the Lorieau clan’s connection to music because his retirement also marks a landmark in his family’s history.
“This is the first time in 90 years where no one in the Lorieau family is in music,” he says.
Joining the Oilers as an anthem singer was not Lorieau’s initial career aspirations. His passion was opera, and although he trained as an optician, he also sang with several opera companies throughout Canada. He had even auditioned for the Metropolitan and New York City Opera companies.
But opera is a hard world to break into, in truth. Pursuing that life would have cost him his family, he said, and that was a sacrifice he was not willing to make, not with the importance he places on family.
“I was pleased with that I had. I felt that was my place,” he said.
When he returned from New York in 1981, a colleague mentioned that the Oilers were looking for an anthem singer.
As he had “nothing else on the go,” he inquired further about the position. A switchboard operator said the auditions were already held and a candidate was selected; thinking he had missed his opportunity, he thanked her for her time and nearly ended the conversation right there.
This story might have had a drastically different outcome had it not been for the canny switchboard operator, who encouraged Lorieau to submit a demo tape anyway.
“She was the genius in all of this,” he said.
Lorieau contacted his sister and they recorded a short demo together, which he dropped off the tape at the office of public relations manager Bill Tuele.
Tuele attempted to phone Lorieau twice before they finally made contact. This struck him as odd, as he knew that the Oilers had already selected another singer.
For reasons that are now lost to history, Tuele invited him to sing the anthem at an exhibition game with Calgary in September 1981.
Quite understandably, Lorieau said he was very nervous during that first game, having never sung with a microphone before.
“But despite my nerves, I was OK. It went well,” he said.
At that time, Lorieau sang the anthem at the entrance for the zamboni. He still has a picture of himself with the Calgary goalie, and to this day, people still recall when he sang O Canada for that tilt versus the Flames.
That same picture is signed by Tuele with the words “Best wishes — the first of many.” Looking back, it was a momentous stroke of luck on his part to choose that phrase, said Lorieau.
Over the years, Lorieau has sang at weddings, funerals and a handful of other events, but in truth, the Oilers kept him busy.
In 30 years, Lorieau has only missed those games where he was simply too sick to sing, as he’s never taken a winter vacation in all three decades.
Certainly, the playoff games were always the most memorable experiences of his career.
He recalls the 1984 Stanley Cup Finals, particularly that first game, where the fans were so loud that he feared they would not even be able to play the anthem.
Lorieau said he couldn’t so much as hear the organ playing over the roar of the crowd; he could have been two bars behind and would not know the difference.
“I had to wait until I could just faintly make it out,” he said.
And then there was the 2006 season, where the Oilers were barely able to secure the final playoff spot and would ultimately battle the Carolina Hurricanes in seven games for the Stanley Cup.
Aside from finally being able to take a few days off during the winter, Lorieau said he has so many memories built up over the last 30 years that he would like to write them all down, perhaps for the purpose of a book. His experiences, after all, are unique.
“I don’t know anyone else who’s been an anthem singer for 30 years.”
