Singer Teagan Littlechief has sung anthems for the CFL's Saskatchewan Roughriders and the WHL's Regina Pats - and now she can add the NHL's Calgary Flames to her roster.
Littlechief - of White Bear First Nations - recently wowed the crowd at the over 19,000-seat Scotiabank Saddledome, as she sang 'O Canada' prior to the September 20 Calgary Flames-Vancouver Canucks game.
Littlechief was selected to sing the national anthem as part of the Calgary Flames Backup Anthem Singer Search, Sept. 19-20, and says she was the only competitor from outside the Calgary area.
“A (Saskatchewan) Roughrider fan who saw me sing at a Riders game in Regina tagged me in a post about this contest on Facebook,” says Littlechief. “So I sent them an audition tape. They told me I had to be prepared to sing both the Canadian and U.S. national anthems and I had to be prepared to sing with an organist.”
“I only found out two weeks prior to the competition that I was going.”
In Calgary, the aspiring anthem singers were mentored by the Flames' full-time anthem singer, Canadian country music star, George Canyon, who said he was “blown away” by Littlechief's powerful voice.
“George was our mentor,” says Littlechief. “And he was really nice and really helpful. There were both male and female singers and we were split into two groups.”
“I did a live audition without backing music, then a live audition with music and at the end of the whole process, a Flames official tracked me down and asked me to sing at the game the next night.”
“As a Flames fan, it was awesome just to wear their jersey,” she says. “I'm a diehard Calgary Flames fan. And when I stepped out on the ice, I realized I was just a few feet away from their goalie, Jon Gilles. I was the only singer who made the drive - everyone else was from around Calgary - but I'm so glad I did. It was an amazing experience.”
Littlechief says that she is gaining confidence as a stadium singer.
“I was scared, but when I walked out onto the ice in front of those thousands of fans in the Saddledome, I also realized that it was just like when I sang for the Regina Pats during their playoffs against Seattle.”
“The more experience you get, the more confident and comfortable you are,” says Littlechief. “But I'll never take opportunities like this for granted, either. I still get shaky and nervous, but it's positive nerves, so I'm good.”
“After I sang, my mom (Sara Littlechief) and my son, Gabriel watched the game,” she says. “We sat near some people who have been season ticket holders for the past 20 years and they said they wished they had a singer like me. People were so nice. Someone else asked me if the Flames could just keep me as a singer.”
“I'd love to be their anthem singer.”
