On April 5th, 2026, fans watched on as the Philadelphia Flyers and Boston Bruins lined up at the Xfinity Mobile Arena. It’s the Flyers’ first chance at making the playoffs in nearly six years, and they needed all the luck they could get. That’s when announcer Lou Nolan’s voice booms through. Lauren Hart stepped up and shocked the fans as she sang “God Bless America” as the Flyers entered the playoffs after an 8-year absence. 

After all, since Easter 2019, the Flyers have traditionally had someone sing or play the “Star-Spangled Banner” before their games. Yet, in 2026, Lauren Hart stepped up and sang “God Bless America” thrice. But this time, when they swapped the national anthem for it, some fans weren’t happy. 

“@NHLFlyers @NHL, why wasn’t the National Anthem performed? @ClayTravis, any idea?” wrote one confused fan on X.

For many NHL fans, dropping the national anthem for anything else is not something teams do. Yet it does exactly what the home rink’s management wanted it to do. Because the Flyers beat the Bruins and then the Carolina Hurricanes to clinch the playoff berth. It set the tone for the NHL side, and they brought the song back in the playoffs. 

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 “God Bless America” 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 isn’t 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 “God Bless America,” 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, “Hold up, Flyers don’t sing the national anthem???” They weren’t the only ones stunned by the change.

Fans react as Lauren Hart and the Flyers bring back God Bless America

For many NHL fans, the Flyers have sung the national anthem for the entire 2020s. They dropped “God Bless America” 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 “Star Spangled Banner”, although with mixed results.

After a streak of wins, the team began to struggle, and ever since, the Flyers’ 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, they’ve contemplated bringing it back but have always hesitated.

Many within the Philadelphia Flyers’ organisation believed that it wouldn’t fit with the modern era. Some believed that while older fans would jive with it, the younger ones wouldn’t. 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.

“I think that it just means so much to the people because of the history, because everybody wants to have a little piece of magic,” Hart explained to Inquirer. “Truthfully, if I just had to sing that song and we win every game, I would have been doing it for the last 20 years.” 

Yet as one fan exclaimed, “Also, what’s the deal with them doing God Bless America instead of the national anthem?” That’s because the decision struck many non-Flyers fans. So much so that most of the NHL, as evidenced by social media, haven’t liked the change.

Flyers’ 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, “I don’t think so, I’m a Flyers fan, and we need to sing the national anthem.”

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.