The Philadelphia Flyers opted to skip the national anthem and instead had Lauren Hart sing 'God Bless America' during their playoff games, surprising fans. This decision coincided with the team's successful playoff run, leading to their first playoff berth in nearly six years.
Key points
Philadelphia Flyers skipped the national anthem in 2026 playoffs
Lauren Hart sang 'God Bless America' instead
Fans initially surprised but later celebrated the change
Flyers clinched playoff berth after changing anthem tradition
First playoff appearance for Flyers in nearly six years
Mentioned in this story
Lauren Hart
Philadelphia FlyersBoston BruinsCarolina HurricanesNHL Playoffs 2026
April 5th, 2026, and fans watch on as the Philadelphia Flyers and Boston Bruins line up at the Xfinity Mobile Arena. Itâs the Flyersâ first chance at making the playoffs in nearly six years, and they need all the luck they can get. Thatâs when announcer Lou Nolanâs voice booms through. Lauren Hart steps up and shocks the fans as she sings a song that defined an age where they ruled the NHL. The song continued to be the norm during their playoff run as well.
After all, since Easter 2019, the Flyers have traditionally had someone sing or play the âStar-Spangled Bannerâ before their games. Yet, in 2026, Lauren Hart stepped up and sang âGod Bless Americaâ thrice. The home fans were stunned the first time, but ever since, they have celebrated and sung alongside her.
However, for many NHL fans, dropping the national anthem for anything else is not something teams do. Yet it does exactly what the home rinkâs management wanted it to do. Because the Flyers beat the Bruins and then the to clinch the playoff berth. It set the tone for the NHL side, and they brought the song back in the playoffs.
Q&A
Why did the Philadelphia Flyers skip the national anthem in 2026?
The Flyers chose to have Lauren Hart sing 'God Bless America' instead of the national anthem, a decision that surprised fans but was part of their playoff tradition.
What was the reaction of fans to the Flyers' anthem change?
Fans were initially stunned by the change but began to celebrate and sing along with Lauren Hart during the playoffs.
How did the Flyers perform after changing the anthem tradition?
Following the change, the Flyers won against the Boston Bruins and the Carolina Hurricanes, clinching a playoff berth for the first time in nearly six years.
Who is Lauren Hart and what role did she play in the Flyers' playoff games?
Lauren Hart is a singer who performed 'God Bless America' during the Flyers' playoff games, replacing the traditional national anthem.
With Hart singing the lucky charm again in the playoffs, the Flyers got the better of the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first Round by winning the series 4-2. They have a 3-0 comfortable lead in the second round against the Carolina Hurricanes and are a victory away from reaching their first Eastern Conference final since 2010.
Despite âGod Bless Americaâ bringing good luck, it has raised eyebrows because the Philadelphia Flyers have skipped the national anthem for it. However, Flyers fans know the history behind it. After all, this isnât the first time the Philadelphia Flyers have dropped the anthem. It all started in 1969 during the Vietnam War. There to boost morale, the Flyers began playing âGod Bless America,â and it worked wonders.
More importantly, they started winning and dominating at home whenever the song was played. So much so that between 1969 and 2019, the Philadelphia Flyers won 101 games, lost 31, and drew just 5 games. A remarkable run of results with singer Kate Smith, even serenading Flyers fans in person more than a few times. But then, circumstances beyond their control in 2019 led them to stop using the song.
However, the clash against the Boston Bruins marked the perfect homecoming, and the rest is history. And now in the playoffs, that trend has continued, although it confused many as one set the stage, writing on X, âHold up, Flyers donât sing the national anthem???â They werenât the only ones stunned by the change.
Fans react as Lauren Hart and the Flyers bring back God Bless America
â@NHLFlyers @NHL, why wasnât the National Anthem performed? @ClayTravis, any idea?â wrote one confused fan on X.
After all, for many NHL fans, the Flyers have sung the national anthem for the entire 2020s. They dropped âGod Bless Americaâ in 2019 after controversy surrounding Kate Smith after records containing her racist lyrics were leaked. Not just that, the Flyers also removed a statue of the singer that stood outside their home rink. Instead, the song was replaced with the âStar Spangled Bannerâ, although with mixed results.
After a streak of wins, the team began to struggle, and ever since, the Flyersâ management has been looking to change things up. A few years ago, they brought the song back for an alumni game, and it was met with raucous cheers. Since then, theyâve contemplated bringing it back but have always hesitated.
Many within the Philadelphia Flyersâ organisation believed that it wouldnât fit with the modern era. Some believed that while older fans would jive with it, the younger ones wouldnât. Then they hit upon the perfect solution: bring it back as a lucky charm for the biggest games. Singer Lauren Hart, daughter of iconic announcer Gene Hart, echoed the same thoughts.
âI think that it just means so much to the people because of the history, because everybody wants to have a little piece of magic,â Hart explained to Inquirer. âTruthfully, if I just had to sing that song and we win every game, I would have been doing it for the last 20 years.â
Yet as one fan exclaimed, âAlso, whatâs the deal with them doing God Bless America instead of the national anthem?â Thatâs because the decision struck many non-Flyers fans. So much so that most of the NHL, as evidenced by social media, havenât liked the change.
Flyersâ fans clearly love it, as Hart gets a lot of love and even thunderous applause every time she sings the song. Not every Flyer fan, though, as one wrote, âI donât think so, Iâm a Flyers fan, and we need to sing the national anthem.â
Thus, as the comment shows, not every modern fan is taken back with the nostalgia trip. For many, the national anthem represents a key part of their pre-game celebrations, although for most Flyers, things have clearly changed.
