It's tradition in Philadelphia to hear "God Bless America" prior to big games, and in the aftermath of Osama bin Laden's death on Sunday at the hands of the American military, the edition prior to Monday night's Game 2 between the Flyers and Boston Bruins at Wells Fargo Center took on a life of its own.
VIDEO: ‘God Bless America’ At Bruins-Flyers Game By Lauren Hart, Kate Smith
A little history after the jump.
"God Bless America" holds a special place in the hearts of Philadelphia Flyers fans. Since the early 1970s, the song has been the team's good luck charm, as sung by Kate Smith prior to games at the old Spectrum. Disgusted at the disinterest shown by the Vietnam-era crowd during the "Star Spangled Banner", Spectrum president Lou Schoenfeld decided to change things up with the hopes of invigorating the crowd.
They started playing Smith’s version of God Bless America before select games, and oddly enough, the team seemed to win games when this happened. When the team enlisted Kate to sing the song live in front of the Philly crowd in 1973 (and the Flyers won big), the legend took on a life of its own.
She became a Philadelphia hero, and though she passed in 1986, the tradition has continued in recent years. Lauren Hart, the daughter of beloved late Flyers broadcaster Gene Hart, sings a duet with Kate on the video board before big games, completing the circle of past and present.
Coincidentally, the Flyers' lone American-born forward, James van Riemsdyk has two goals in the first 10 minutes of the game.
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