Detroit red wings game national anthem 1997

Even President Bush's father, who was then commander in chief, chimed in on the issue. Tom Arnold, Roseanne's former husband, was one of the few who came to her defense.

She sang her heart out. Arnold does have a point. Singers will point out that the song requires considerable range to be sung properly. To be crooned properly, you must raise the pitch of your voice an octave and a fifth by the time you get to " Still, Roseanne wasn't even trying to sing on key. She was trying to do comedy.

Lewis seemed to struggle harder trying to reach the high notes that day than he did in winning his nine gold medals. Midway through, Lewis paused to apologize to the crowd, saying, "I'm going to make up for it. You might just add the Olympian to the endless list of celebrities -- especially actors -- who fancy themselves vocalists. She fell out of her top. Oh say, can you see? Too much! Detroit's Channel 50 got a TV lens full of breast.

Actually, some of us have never seen anything like this anywhere. The station got one complaint. To be considered as a potential National Anthem singer, please email a packet to Kevin. Fisher Hockeytown. Please note: The U. Anthem should not exceed 90 seconds.

The Canadian Anthem should be no longer than 75 seconds, with neither being overly stylized. Standing in the doorway, I watched as champagne flowed freely. The quality of the bubbly, however, was a few octaves above what the athletes were spraying around in their overcrowded locker room after the Red Wings ended a year Stanley Cup drought. The founders of the Little Caesars Pizza chain had set aside cases of it for this singular moment, and now they were sharing it with family, friends and business partners.

Clouds of smoke from expensive cigars mingled in the mist with unbridled laughter as the Ilitches made their way through the crowd like joyful parents of the bride at a fairy-tale wedding reception.

The story that was unfolding in this luxury suite was the one of several that I would share with readers in the next edition of the Free Press, and I was surprised I was the only reporter to come knocking. The Ilitches were cautious around the media, rarely granting an audience, and usually only after an interview was arranged well in advance through layers of their handlers.

But when they conceded to such meetings, Mike and Marian were delightful, engaging and thoroughly interesting people — honest, well-spoken — and often brutally, refreshingly blunt. It was easy to like this family. Even easier to respect them. Denise, eldest of the seven Ilitch children, greeted me at the doorway of the suite.

After talking briefly, we were joined by her then husband, Jim Lites, the former Wings executive vice president who had left the organization a year earlier to become president of the Western Conference rival Dallas Stars.

After a few minutes spent reminiscing about how all the bad times of the previous 15 years suddenly seemed so worth it, Denise went to fetch her parents while Jim spoke affectionately and respectfully about how happy he was for his in-laws and what this Stanley Cup championship meant to them. Ilitch spent what he had to, spent what it took when the other owners around the league brutalized him for it. He changed the league, the way he did things. He deserves this. And so does this town.

A former minor league shortstop for his hometown Tigers — a franchise he purchased in — Ilitch was neither tall nor short, but vigorous in the way that you know his Marine Corps uniform from 45 years earlier would still fit him.

He wore a mop of curly hair always cut and styled in a way that reminded his wife, Marian, of a Roman emperor. So, when they opened their first pizza shop and needed a name, it seemed only natural to her that they call it Little Caesars — without the apostrophe.

As Ilitch approached, I held out my hand, but he grabbed me and embraced me.