Wild Anthem singer's son takes the mic for "Next Gen" game
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The jobs you see all over the Xcel Energy Center to make a Minnesota Wild home game possible were taken over by kids during Monday's matinee game against the Vancouver Canucks.
It was part of the Wild's "Next Gen"-themed game celebrating the youngest wild fans, who did everything from prepping the ice for each period in the Zamboni, to getting to take over for the PA announcer.
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Of all the kids participating in this Next Gen game, Julian deCausmeaker, a 14-year-old from Crystal, probably took on the hardest and bravest job that goes into a hockey game — singing the National Anthem.
Julian deCausmeaker is no stranger to the complicated ballad. He's been watching his dad, John deCausmeaker, perform it for Wild home games the last seven seasons. However, Julian deCausmeaker didn't realize he inherited his dad's vocal chops. He hit the difficult notes in front of a 19,000-seat arena that was close to capacity.
"I sing in the car, but not anything else, nothing like this," Julian deCausmeaker, "It was nerve-wracking. I was shaking, but I'm glad that didn't come out in my voice though."
His father called it a "proud papa moment."
"He's very, very courageous. Thinking of myself as a 14-year-old, no way I would have done that, so I'm really proud of him," John deCausmeaker said.
With Julian singing the National Anthem at the WIld game, it completed the deCausmeaker "hat trick." Julian's mom, Monica, sang the anthem before a game last month.
"I hope this experience teaches him that he can do anything if he sets his mind to it," Monica deCausmeaker said.
The kids must have brought the good luck, because the Wild went on to beat the No. 1 team in the NHL, 10-7. It was the highest scoring game in franchise history. The deCausmeaker "hat trick" was the third of the game for the Wild, followed by hat tricks from Joel Eriksson Ek and Kirill Kaprizov.
