Singer Jake Schroeder set to belt out 1,000th national anthem for Avalanche

Long before he was scheduled to belt out “The Star-Spangled Banner” for the 1,000th time to kick off an Avalanche game on Saturday night, Denver’s own Jake Schroeder sang the national anthem at a Grant Ranch community center honoring Veterans Day.

The luncheon was part of a tremendously hectic time for the former Opie Gone Bad frontman and affable community activist who has been singing the anthem for the Avs since the 1997-98 season.

“I need to turn my phone off after about 3 o’clock today,” Schroeder, the son of a Vietnam veteran, told The Post in a phone interview. “It’s really cool but I’m too old to figure out how to turn my watch off to make sure it doesn’t make sound from the phone.”

Schroeder, 53, required some rest before heading to Ball Arena, where he will deliver the anthem and then settle in a private suite with his family and friends, including a handful of Avalanche alumni who rented the suite for him. Former Avs defensemen Kyle Quincey and Adam Foote and forwards Milan Hejduk and John Mitchell, among others, will be present during the game and also at a postgame celebration near the University of Denver.

“I couldn’t be more flattered than I am right now,” Schroeder said. “I just want to soak the whole day in. It’s really, really cool. I have so many wonderful people who bought tickets and want to be there but it’s going to be difficult to see everybody and still be present. These are great problems to have, right? All these people being so kind to you and giving you all that positive attention, it’s really wonderful.”

Sixth-year Avalanche coach Jared Bednar likened Schroeder’s milestone to playing 1,000 games in the NHL, and that he should be showered as such.

“I think it’s awesome,” the coach said. “I like the consistency of having Jake sing. It’s been great to get to know him and what he means to the community and how involved he is. I had the opportunity to go to the Top Golf event that he had, and just seeing how loved he is and how much he’s trying to give back, I think it makes it special. And the community’s embraced him and fans get excited when he comes out there to sing, and our guys love it. And it’s quite the milestone, 1,000 anthems.”

Footnotes. Avs rookie defenseman Bo Byram will be scratched on Saturday with a head injury, stemming from being elbowed to the face by Vancouver’s Bo Horvat in Thursday’s 7-1 win over the Canucks. Byram, who was limited to just 19 games last season because of multiple concussions, was feeling good Friday and completed a full practice. But Bednar said he wasn’t feeling well Saturday morning. Byram entered Saturday tied for third in NHL rookie scoring, with eight points (three goals) in 11 games. … Colorado claimed forward Nicolas Aube-Kubel off waivers from the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday. The 25-year-old played in 102 NHL games with the Flyers, including seven this season. He appeared in a career-high 50 games last season, producing three goals and 12 points. The Canadian from Alberta was a second-round draft pick (48th overall) by the Flyers in 2014. Aube-Kubel is in the final year of a contract with the $1.075 million annual cap hit. He is a pending restricted free agent next summer.

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