How Koreatown seniors have become Kings' playoff good luck charm with harmonica national anthem

The Kings are playing successful Edmonton this play with a accidental to expanse the Oilers and triumph their archetypal playoff bid since their Stanley Cup title tally successful 2014.

Hopefully the Kings didn’t hide immoderate of the essentials portion packing for specified a large trip.

“Pack your harmonicas,” the Kings’ X relationship posted pursuing the team’s 6-2 triumph implicit the Oilers connected Wednesday nighttime astatine Crypto.com Arena. “We’re taking this amusement connected the road.”

That’s right, harmonicas. Just 2 games into the 2025 playoffs, the free-reed philharmonic instrumentality has go the Kings’ unofficial postseason bully luck charm — acknowledgment to immoderate memorable pregame performances of “The Star-Spangled Banner” played by a radical representing the Koreatown Senior and Community Center.

Located astir 2½ miles westbound of the Kings’ location arena, the halfway offers 47 programs attended by astir 1,500 radical each week, according to nationalist relations manager Gloria Y. Kim. A harmonica people was introduced 7 years ago, and the radical started practicing the U.S. nationalist anthem successful 2021.

On June 7, 2023, respective people members played the anthem to commencement a Los Angeles City Council gathering astatine City Hall.

“That day, we received a lasting ovation from LA City Councilmembers and implicit 100 attendees, which gave america large confidence,” Kim told The Times successful an email Thursday.

In January, Kim said, the halfway was contacted by the Kings, who were making plans for their K-Town Night to beryllium held March 23 erstwhile the squad hosted the Boston Bruins. Kwanil Park, the center’s enforcement director, suggested that the harmonica radical reprise its show of “The Star-Spangled Banner” earlier the game.

The Kings liked the idea, Kim said. So 13 women and 1 antheral from the harmonica class, dressed successful accepted Korean hanbok, appeared astatine the crippled and played the anthem “to an overwhelmingly affirmative response.”

The harmonica people was invited backmost for Game 1 against the Oilers connected Monday, Kim said. This clip the radical was composed wholly of women, again dressed successful their accepted garb.

Members of the Koreatown Senior & Community Center’s play harmonica people execute the nationalist anthem earlier the Kings’ playoff crippled against the Edmonton Oilers connected Monday astatine Crypto.com Arena.

(Koreatown Senior and Community Center)

“It was a genuinely moving infinitesimal when the assemblage sang the nationalist anthem on with our harmonica performance,” Kim said.

After the Kings’ chaotic 6-5 triumph that night, the team’s X relationship posted a radical of photos from the crippled with the caption, “The powerfulness of the harmonicas.”

That led to Wednesday’s anthem performance by the harmonica group, this clip wearing Kings jerseys. After the win, the team’s X relationship declared, “The HarmoniKings are 2-0.”

The bid moves to Edmonton for Game 3 connected Friday and Game 4 connected Sunday, but the Kings volition beryllium backmost location astatine immoderate constituent this postseason — either for imaginable Games 5 and 7 against the Oilers oregon successful the adjacent circular and perchance beyond. Does that mean that section hockey fans haven’t seen the past of the Koreatown elder halfway players arsenic portion of the pregame festivities?

“We are presently discussing it with the LA Kings,” Kim said.