MONTREAL - As a staple in the pop culture diet for decades in Quebec, singer Ginette Reno has loaned her voice to several well-known institutions: Singing for the Hells Angels at a wedding reception and singing at the funeral for Maurice (The Rocket) Richard famously among them.
This spring, though, the 67-year-old has emerged as the unlikely good luck charm for the highest-ranking institution in the province. Months after suffering a heart attack, she has performed O Canada for the Montreal Canadiens at two home playoff games - and the team won both.
And not only did they win both, they started both with quick goals, the Bell Centre still buzzing from the effects of her singing. The Canadiens scored 11 seconds into Game 3, on Sunday, and they scored two minutes into Game 4 on Tuesday, sweeping the Tampa Bay Lightning from their first-round playoff series.
Reno's powers appeared to extend beyond her command performance with the anthem, too. As she was leaving the ice on Tuesday night, she shook hands with Daniel Brière, a veteran Canadiens forward who had not scored a goal in the series.
Brière was the one who scored that first goal, two minutes 24 seconds later.
'I guess she gave me a little bit of energy when she walked off the ice and shook my hand,' he said with a smile after the game. 'It worked on the first shift. Maybe we could get a little seat for her right by the bench. She can touch all the guys.'
Reno reportedly grew up as a butcher's daughter in the east end of Montreal, a working-class part of the city. She sang in church basements and talent shows, earning her first big deal when she was only 15 years old.
She has since produced dozens of albums, and has also appeared in a number of films and television productions. Outside of Quebec, she might be known best for her role in the 2003 movie 'Mambo Italiano,' alongside Paul Sorvino.
While her level of fame might not be what it once was, her name still resonates.
'I know a lot of songs, definitely,' Brière said. 'Growing up, it was playing in the household. I know my mom was a huge fan of Ginette.'
Reno has worked abroad, including work in London, but has maintained her roots in the province.
'I saw an interview with Celine (Dion) where she was asked 'What are you to Quebec?'' Reno told The Gazette in 1998. 'She said, 'I'm like a child.' Usually you want the child to get out of the house and explore the world. When she said that, I asked myself, 'What am I to Quebec? If she's the child, then I'm the mother. And mama should stay home and never change.'
In an interview with CBC earlier this week, she said: 'I'm like maple syrup.'
Reno was made an officer of the Order of Canada in 1982, for being a 'model of success for young people' who 'has earned the admiration and affection of legions of fans in Quebec, Canada and abroad.'
She has earned many other honours - she received a lifetime artistic achievement award from the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards in 1999 - and she has also earned controversy.
In 2000, months after singing at Richard's funeral, she sang at the wedding reception of a ranking Hells Angels member. It was front-page news in Quebec, and a popular topic on talk radio. One photo from the event showed Reno posing with Maurice (Mom) Boucher, a Hells Angels leader now in prison for murder.
At first, she defended her appearance, reportedly telling a Montreal newspaper: 'Are they criminals and killers 24 hours a day? People aren't disgusting all the time ... Jesus hung around with bad people.'
She later apologized: 'I hope and trust that this regrettable incident will not overshadow the rest of my achievements.'
Her role with the Canadiens has returned her to prominence. She told the CBC she had to meet with her doctor for clearance before performing on Tuesday night.
'I was ready to die,' Reno told the CBC of her debut in the series. 'I said to my son, 'if anything happens, don't worry. I'll die happy.''
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