Lyndon Slewidge
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Lyndon Slewidge (born 1954 in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario)[1][2][3] is an 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 wink and a thumbs up sign.
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 is currently stationed in Smiths Falls at the OPP's Eastern Region Headquarters.
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]
[edit] References
- ^ Stone, Jay. "Anthem singer carried his tune to the capital", Ottawa Citizen, 25 January 1993, p. B10. Indicates age 38 and birthplace of Sault Ste. Marie.
- ^ a b "Area's other `singing policeman' delights fans at hockey games", Ottawa Citizen, 1 August 1993, p. A2. Indicated age 38.
- ^ a b "Singing police officer proud to stir emotions at World Cup", Edmonton Journal, 7 September 1996, p. B5. Indicated age 42.
[edit] External links
- Ottawa Senators: Game Experience - Lyndon Slewidge
- Lebrun, Pierre. "Murphy's long odyssey", Canadian Press, 19 October 2007. Retrieved on 2008-02-10. References Slewidge's effect on a Florida Panthers player.
- Brennan, Don. "Vermette meets true 'hero' / Visit with car accident victim gives Senators forward a new perspective on what's important", Ottawa Sun, 19 January 2007. Retrieved on 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. "NHL Playoffs 2006: Tampa Bay vs. Ottawa - Game 5, Eastern Conference Quarter-final", CBC Sports, April 2006. Retrieved on 2008-02-10. "There's no two ways around it: the guy is a national treasure."