Hockey brings out deep emotions that other sports cannot tap. Moments are linked to memories, and traditions are carried to future generations. Especially central to hockey is the patriotism of the national anthem, specifically the Canadian Anthem, O Canada.
John S. Hammond, the first president of the New York Rangers, once said, “The Canadian anthem has always been associated with hockey.”
Fans at the Macon Coliseum Friday night got a special treat before the Macon Mayhem’s game with the Pensacola IceFlyers game. The hockey club welcomed Alex Damon to sing the Canada Anthem after the Star-Spangled Banner.
Damon did a masterful job, including singing portions in French and English. It was a moment of pride for the Canadian players on both the Mayhem and IceFlyers, who generally do not hear their native anthem in the rinks of the Southern Professional Hockey League.
Mayhem fans may recognize Damon from earlier in the season when he dropped the puck before a game. In addition to being an accomplished singer and performer, he is an actor and currently part of the series, “Fear of the Walking Dead.”
But as we continue to connect the dots of Damon’s career, we can go full circle to the game of hockey. In 1980, he was a sophomore at the Crane School of Music in Potsdam, New York, near Lake Placid, and he was on site for the 1980 Olympic games and was in the building for the dramatic US Hockey win over the Soviet Union.
In addition to signing some of the country’s national anthems that winter as a Crane student, he was also an accomplished photographer and documented the school’s work at the Games in photos. In this role, he was given unprecedented access to hockey and all other sports.
After singing the Canada Anthem Friday, Damon reflected. “The Lake Placid arena was sort of like my home base. Every day, I got up and went to the hockey arena where I was stationed. The nice thing was that I got a full accreditation pass for any event.”
A resident of Marietta now, you can catch Damon singing at a restaurant in the area (his Facebook page updates the whereabouts of his gigs), and if you ask him, he will share those special Olympic memories with you.
As for the iconic game with the Soviet Union, he said, “You could just sense the electricity, and the tension in that place was crazy. And after the winning goal, it was mayhem. I mean, not Macon Mayhem, but it was insanity.
After his performance Friday, Damon could say he witnessed the most significant hockey game ever played on US ice and now the Macon Mayhem in person. And just like all hockey fans, he has great memories of both.
Connecting the Dots of Sports History 