Longtime Canucks anthem singer Richard Loney passes away

Richard Loney, a man who was a fixture at Canucks games since the birth of the Vancouver organization in 1970, has passed away at age 82, according to a release from the Canucks. Loney suffered a series of strokes beginning in 2009, and he retired from anthem performances following the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

"I was lucky enough to hear him sing O Canada so many times during my playing career," said Canucks president Trevor Linden in a statement. "He’s been such a big part of our team’s history and was a true icon in BC, lending his one-of-a-kind voice to the Lions, Whitecaps, Giants, and even at Safeco Field when the Blue Jays would come for their annual visit. He supported sports at all levels and often volunteered for charities and for minor league hockey, baseball and soccer events around the Lower Mainland. He was such a nice man and I will miss him. Our heartfelt condolences go out to his wife Marion, and his family and friends."

According to a Vancouver Sun article, Loney performed at over 2,000 Canucks games during his 40 years of singing the national anthem, and he was involved in music at his local church and with the Vancouver Opera Chorus. Donnelly was also a secondary school teacher who educated pupils in music and French. 

Loney was replaced by a friend, Mark Donnelly, as the Canucks' anthem singer following a stroke in the summer of 2011.

(h/t Vancouver Sun)