PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Flyers fans heard the usual stirring rendition of “God Bless America,” live by Lauren Hart and on video by Kate Smith, before Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The song has been a rallying anthem for the Flyers since Smith began singing it in the mid 1970s. Hart started the song, then looked up to the big screen and passed it off to Smith before Monday night’s game. They finish in a split-screen duet.
Fans chanted “U-S-A! U-S-A!” after lineups were introduced and again after the song was finished.
The Flyers asked that fans paused to salute the men and women of the military who serve the United States at home and abroad. Members of local Philadelphia police and fire departments joined the color guard to present the American flag.
