Mark Donnelly

For the Irish rugby union player, see Mark Donnelly (rugby union).

Mark Emerson Donnelly (born February 29, 1960) is a Canadian singer noted for singing the national anthem "O Canada" at the National Hockey League's Vancouver Canucks home games.^[3]

Mark Donnelly
Born	(1960-02-29) February 29, 1960 (age 64) Vancouver, British Columbia
Occupation	Opera singer[1][2]
Known for	Anthem singer for the Vancouver Canucks (2001– Dec 2020)
Spouse	Catherine
Website	markemersondonnelly.com

Biography

Donnelly was born and raised in Vancouver and North Delta, playing ice hockey from the age of 12.^[4] After earning a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of British Columbia,^[5] he began singing national anthems for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League while working for a Scranton, Pennsylvania parish.^[4] After he and his family moved back to Vancouver, he started doing the same for the Vancouver Canucks beginning in 2001.^[4]

He made a cameo appearance in the TV show Psych, playing an opera singer in the season four premiere episode "Extradition: British Columbia", and then another cameo appearance as a singer in the final episode "Apotheosis" of the science fiction series Caprica.

He, his wife Catherine, and their nine children currently reside in White Rock, British Columbia.^[4] His brother, Lawrence, is the priest of Sts. Joachim and Ann Parish in Aldergrove. He is a staunch supporter of the Canadian anti-abortion movement.^[6][2][7][8]

On October 3 2014, Donnelly tripped over a carpet at Centre ice while performing the national anthem at a VEES game. Donnelly later stated that the carpet was supposed to be rolled up before he took the ice.

On December 4, 2020, the Vancouver Canucks cut ties with Donnelly, via Twitter, after it came out that he planned on singing at an anti-mask rally.^[9][10]

References

1. Surrey Now (2011-12-22). "Much thinner singer sounds off prior to concert". Surrey Now-Leader. Retrieved 2013-07-04. ^{[dead link‍]}
2. Mooney, Harrison (June 1, 2012). "Canucks' anthem singer Mark Donnelly sings "O Canada" at launch of New Abortion Caravan". Ca.sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
3. Krishnan, Manisha (10 June 2011). "North Van teacher croons for Canucks". The Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
4. Stone, Felicity (July 1, 2011). "At home with ... Mark Donnelly". The Vancouver Sun. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
5. "Game Entertainment / Mark Donnelly". Vancouver Canucks website. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
6. "Mark Donnelly Sings Anthem at Anti-Abortion Rally". 1 June 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
7. "For Immediate Release: Abortion Advocates Shout Down National Anthem Sung By Mark "Mr. O Canada" Donnelly" (Press release). Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform. May 31, 2012. Archived from the original on March 25, 2016. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
8. Rumohr, Nathan (June 23, 2012). "Anthem singer sings and believes in O Canada". The B.C. Catholic Paper. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
9. Mooney, Harrison (December 5, 2020). "Canucks cut ties with anthem singer Mark Donnelly over plan to sing at anti-mask rally". Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
10. "Vancouver Canucks' anthem singer gets the boot over plans to perform at anti-mask rally". CBC News. December 4, 2020. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2020.

External links

• Official website