Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Poll results: Slightly more PHT readers think Flyers should retire Kate Smith video

Postage Stamp Kate Smith

Philadelphia Flyers’ national anthem vocalist Lauren Hart sings next to a statue of Kate Smith during a ceremony where a design of a postage stamp honoring Smith was presented, in Philadelphia, Wednesday, May 19, 2010. Smith was best known for performing composer Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America.” The new stamp is scheduled to become available for sale on May 27. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

AP

Honestly, I was expecting to publish these poll results as the Boston Bruins visited the Flyers in Philadelphia in a Game 5 match. Obviously, that won’t happen, as the Bruins did an impressive job of sweeping the Flyers out of the playoffs while Philly must answer some tough questions.

As it turned out, the first Kate Smith/Lauren Hart “God Bless America” rendition after news broke about Osama bin Laden’s death turned out to be the last one until next season.

The question we posed was: should the Flyers retire their traditional mash-up of Hart’s live vocals and video footage of Smith’s rendition or should the team maintain the status singing quo? Before we get to the poll results, here are a couple comments from PHT readers. (Note: these comments haven’t been edited.)

cptman” voiced disapproval regarding a change:

I am no flag waving patriotic citizen, however, whenever I hear Kate Smith sing God Bless America, I always get a tear in my eye. While Lauren Hart does a good job, sometimes new and improved is not better than the original. To drop Kate Smith would be unAmerican.

Meanwhile, “snoboarder92201” thinks it might be time to move on.

I agree, it is an awesome sight. but it is a different era. Let Kate Smith go. This team does not need to be looking up at here and have the weight of the 1970′s teams on their shoulders because Kate Smith is singing. I am a huge Flyers fan but it is time to let it go.

(You can read more comments in the original post.)

OK, now that we have some responses, let’s take a look at the results.

letlaurenhartdoit

(click to enlarge)

So, readers think the Flyers should go with a Hart-only “God Bless America” rendition by a very slim margin (less than five percent more). It’s doubtful that the very independent Flyers franchise would allow a poll like this to influence their tradition anyway, but this isn’t an emphatic movement to do away with the old setup.

It is interesting to see that more people believe that the team should make a change, especially since such a move could be controversial in some circles. The “God Bless America” tradition already makes the Flyers’ pre-game ceremonies special, but some think that it’s time to let Hart handle it on her own.