Lyndon Slewidge
Lyndon Slewidge (born 1954 in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario)[1][2][3] is a retired Ontario Provincial Police officer who also sings anthems for the Ottawa Senators hockey club. He has been the club's official anthem singer since 1994, and is familiar with at least 13 national anthems.[3] Slewidge typically ends an anthem with a salute, a wink and a thumbs up sign. (or, in the playoffs, with waving a towel)
Slewidge spent his childhood in Sault Ste. Marie where at age 9 he won a Kiwanis Music Festival for his singing talent. His career in police work began there in 1975. Prior to moving to the Ottawa area, he lived in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario where he first sang national anthems for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. He has last been stationed in Smiths Falls at the OPP's Eastern Region Headquarters. He has received the Service Medal of the Order of St John with 1 Bar.
In 1992, astronaut Roberta Bondar arranged for Slewidge to record the American and Canadian national anthems. She took the recordings aboard her flight on NASA's Space Shuttle Discovery (mission STS-42). Bondar's home city is Sault Ste. Marie, where Slewidge was stationed at that time.[2]
References
- ↑ Stone, Jay (25 January 1993). "Anthem singer carried his tune to the capital". Ottawa Citizen. p. B10. Indicates age 38 and birthplace of Sault Ste. Marie.
- 1 2 "Area's other `singing policeman' delights fans at hockey games". Ottawa Citizen. 1 August 1993. p. A2. Indicated age 38.
- 1 2 Warren, Ken; Panzeri, Allen (7 September 1996). "Singing police officer proud to stir emotions at World Cup". Edmonton Journal. p. B5. Indicated age 42.
External links
- Ottawa Senators: Game Experience - Lyndon Slewidge
- Lebrun, Pierre (19 October 2007). "Murphy's long odyssey". Canadian Press. Archived from the original on 20 October 2007. Retrieved 2008-02-10. References Slewidge's effect on a Florida Panthers player.
- Brennan, Don (19 January 2007). "Vermette meets true 'hero' / Visit with car accident victim gives Senators forward a new perspective on what's important". Ottawa Sun. Retrieved 2008-02-09.
To welcome back Lyndon Slewidge in his first game since a surgical procedure, fans gave the Ottawa anthem singer a standing ovation.
- Campigotto, Jesse (April 2006). "NHL Playoffs 2006: Tampa Bay vs. Ottawa - Game 5, Eastern Conference Quarter-final". CBC Sports. Retrieved 2008-02-10.
There's no two ways around it: the guy is a national treasure.
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