The Kings are enjoying in Edmonton this weekend with an opportunity to brush the Oilers and win their first playoff collection since their Stanley Cup championship run in 2014.
Hopefully the Kings didn’t neglect any of the necessities whereas packing for such an enormous journey.
“Pack your harmonicas,” the Kings’ X account posted following the group’s 6-2 win over the Oilers on Wednesday evening at Crypto.com Enviornment. “We’re taking this present on the highway.”
That’s proper, harmonicas. Simply two video games into the 2025 playoffs, the free-reed musical instrument has turn out to be the Kings’ unofficial postseason good luck allure — due to some memorable pregame performances of “The Star-Spangled Banner” performed by a bunch representing the Koreatown Senior and Group Heart.
Positioned about 2½ miles west of the Kings’ dwelling area, the middle presents 47 packages attended by about 1,500 individuals every week, based on public relations supervisor Gloria Y. Kim. A harmonica class was launched seven years in the past, and the group began practising the U.S. nationwide anthem in 2021.
On June 7, 2023, a number of class members performed the anthem to start out a Los Angeles Metropolis Council assembly at Metropolis Corridor.
“That day, we obtained a standing ovation from LA Metropolis Councilmembers and over 100 attendees, which gave us nice confidence,” Kim advised The Instances in an electronic mail Thursday.
In January, Kim mentioned, the middle was contacted by the Kings, who have been planning for his or her Okay-City Evening to be held March 23 when the group hosted the Boston Bruins. Kwanil Park, the middle’s govt director, prompt that the harmonica group reprise its efficiency of “The Star-Spangled Banner” earlier than the sport.
The Kings appreciated the concept, Kim mentioned. So 13 ladies and one man from the harmonica class, wearing conventional Korean hanbok, appeared on the recreation and performed the anthem “to an overwhelmingly optimistic response.”
The harmonica class was invited again for Recreation 1 towards the Oilers on Monday, Kim mentioned. This time the group was composed totally of ladies, once more dressed of their conventional garb.
Members of the Koreatown Senior & Group Heart’s weekly harmonica class carry out the nationwide anthem earlier than the Kings’ playoff recreation towards the Edmonton Oilers on Monday at Crypto.com Enviornment.
(Koreatown Senior and Group Heart)
“It was a very shifting second when the gang sang the nationwide anthem together with our harmonica efficiency,” Kim mentioned.
After the Kings’ wild 6-5 win that evening, the group’s X account posted a bunch of images from the sport with the caption, “The ability of the harmonicas.”
That led to Wednesday’s anthem efficiency by the harmonica group, this time sporting Kings jerseys. After the win, the group’s X account declared, “The HarmoniKings are 2-0.”
The collection strikes to Edmonton for Recreation 3 on Friday and Recreation 4 on Sunday, however the Kings will probably be again dwelling sooner or later this postseason — both for doable Video games 5 and seven towards the Oilers or within the subsequent spherical and presumably past. Does that imply that native hockey followers haven’t seen the final of the Koreatown senior middle gamers as a part of the pregame festivities?
“We’re at the moment discussing it with the L.A. Kings,” Kim mentioned.
