John Amirante was the long-time national anthem singer at Madison Square Garden. He first performed the national anthem at the Garden ice in October 1980, and has also sung for the Knicks and Yankees. In 2009, when Amirante was 74, he was singing the anthem at about half of the Rangers' home games. On April 18, 2015, after a 35-year run, Amirante sang what was thought to be his last National Anthem before Game 2 in Round 1 of the 2015 playoffs against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The following day, after a negative reaction from fans regarding the decision to forcibly retire Amirante, the Garden announced Amirante would be invited to be a guest anthem singer from time-to-time. On April 17 2018, Amirante passed away at the age of 83.