Lauren Hart sings 'God Bless America' prior to the Philadelphia Flyers game against the Boston Bruins on April 5, 2026 (Credit @JoyonBroad on X)
PHILADELPHIA -- Lou Nolan's mic went live. The capacity crowd listened to the dulcet tone of his voice as he made the same announcement hew makes every game, five minutes before puck drop.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he says. "At this time, we ask that you please rise and remove your hats and salute to our flags and welcome the No. 1 ranked anthemist in the NHL, our very own Lauren Hart, as she sings the Star-Spangled Banner."
Except on Sunday, he didn't say that.
It was almost that. Word for word. Except, right at the very end. The last four words were replaced by three others.
Rather than say "the Star-Spangled Banner," Nolan instead exclaimed, "God Bless America."
There was a buzz throughout the crowd. "Did he just say what I thought he said?"
He did.
Ummm… the Flyers brought back God Bless America today.
— Anthony SanFilippo (@AntSanPhilly) April 5, 2026
And Lauren Hart proceeded to sing the song that at one time was a Flyers good luck charm, saved for special occasions, specifically big, meaningful games.
And Sunday was certainly that. With a win, the Flyers would move into a playoff spot with five games to go, couple that with the fact that the game was against the Boston Bruins -- the team most spooked out by the singing of this song in the heyday of the Broad Street Bullies -- and it seemed apropos for it to be used.
One thing though, it had ceased being used seven years ago amid controversy surrounding Kate Smith singing racially insensitive songs in the 1930s and 1940s.
At the time, Comcast Spectacor leadership, then-headed by Dave Scott and Valerie Camillo, not only chose to stop using the song, but clunkily covered up a statue of Smith that was situated outside of what was then known as Xfinity Live.
After a few days of the covered up statue looking like an eyesore, the brass had it removed and sent to an undisclosed location where it remains, to this day, with only a choice few people with knowledge of its whereabouts.
It was Smith's version of the song the Flyers used in some form every time it was played, and she even sang it live in the Spectrum a few times, most notably before Game 6 of the 1974 Stanley Cup Finals, a 1-0 win over the Bruins that secured the Flyers their first Stanley Cup.
When the Flyers officially stopped using God Bless America in 2019, they put out a statement that read:
“We have recently become aware that several songs performed by Kate Smith contain offensive lyrics that do not reflect our values as an organization. As we continue to look into this serious matter, we are removing Kate Smith’s recording of 'God Bless America’ from our library and covering up the statue that stands outside of our arena.”
That statement was given on Easter Sunday, 2019. So, maybe it was apropos that the song was brought back on Easter Sunday, 2026 -- a resurrection, if you will.
Now, the version that was presented Sunday was different. It was just song by Hart alone. In the years since Smith's death, the Flyers would occasionally use the song for big games and have Hart sing it live as part of a duet with a recording of Smith singing it in 1974 that would play on the scoreboard.
That duet version is still in mothballs, with the statue. There doesn't seem to be an appetite for bringing either one out any time soon.
But the Flyers decided to add the song, written more than a century ago (1918) by Irving Berlin, back into it's library, this time with Hart doing it solo.
With Scott and Camillo gone and new leadership in place, specifically CEO and Governor Dan Hilferty, President Keith Jones and General Manager Danny Briere, the Flyers did give this one a test run a couple years ago when they hosted an alumni game at the arena. Hart sang it then. It was an experiment, and one that was received positively.
But uncertainty remained. Older fans, who remember the halcyon days of the organization were more likely to care about the song than the younger generation, who considered it a relic, at best, when it was used prior to 2019, and troublesome, at worst, if it were to be used afterward.
So, there was careful consideration before it was brought out again in 2026.
According to multiple sources, the Flyers had been considering bringing the song back to prominence since that alumni game, but they didn't want to do it gratuitously. They preferred that if it were to come back, it should be in the way founder and former chairman Ed Snider used to utilize it -- as a good luck charm in the biggest games.
Sunday was as big a home game as the Flyers have had in quite some time.
The leadership team set some parameters. The game had to have big meaning and not be just another game in the playoff chase. And, it was purely incumbent upon the team winning a game against the New York Islanders last Friday.
While the Flyers entire leadership group was involved in discussion about the song's return, ultimately it was Hilferty who had final say, and he signed off on it last week.
After Matvei Michkov scored to put the Flyers up 3-0 against the Islanders on Friday, sources said text messages started flowing among team employees.
The basic gist of the conversation? Win the game, and the song would be sung again on Sunday.
The Flyers did beat the Islanders 4-1, and as promised, God Bless America was back. That said, it was a state secret. Nobody was allowed to say anything. It was meant to surprise.
Boy, did it ever.
And in some ways, its return was a bigger story than Porter Martone scoring his first NHL goal as an overtime game-winner to beat the Bruins 2-1 that vaulted the Flyers into sole possession of third place in the Metropolitan Division -- and thus a playoff position -- with five games to go.
Russ Joy, from the Snow The Goalie podcast, which also produces The Press Row Show that broadcasts live from the balcony of Xfinity Mobile Arena when there's a game going on, conducted two very unscientific polls - one on X, and one on YouTube. And in both cases, 86% of the fans who voted supported the return of "God Bless America."
God Bless America for the first time in a long time. #LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/vf4FCAB5QX
After Hart was done singing it Sunday, the fans erupted. A "Let's go Flyers" chant begun. It was as if everyone had been transported back in time.
And with the Flyers now controlling their own destiny in a playoff run with five games to play, it feels ever closer to the Xfinity Mobile Arena hosting it's first playoff game since April, 2018, which some believe was the last time "God Bless America" was actually sung in lieu of the National Anthem prior to Sunday (there is no confirmed documentation of the last time). The Flyers unofficial record, including Sunday, when the song is played is 102-31-5. Not too shabby.
That means, we're likely to hear it again. Maybe in one of the final two home games of the season against Carolina or Montreal next week, if the Flyers need a win to get into the postseason dance.
If not, then possibly Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against Pittsburgh in a few weeks, assuming all positions hold.
Whenever it is, it's back, likely for good. And be honest, it feels right that it is.
Today:
Had God Bless America Return
Beat bruins in an afternoon game
Jumped into playoff spot
Saw our future star do star things
Felt passion in the arena
It feels like we shed the past decade of filth off. This feels like the flyers I love.
Keep it up. Let's finish this.
