"Big fail", "So painful": Social media reacts to LA Kings' harmonica rendition of US national anthem at playoffs opener

A harmonica performance of the U.S. national anthem by the Korea Town Senior Center was on display during Game 1 of the first-round series between the LA Kings and the Edmonton Oilers.

The Harmonica class, led by Korean American musicians, performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Crypto.com Arena. The crowd joined in to sing along.

However, many fans expressed disappointment with the performance, sharing their reactions on X (formerly Twitter). One tweeted:

"Wow First playoff game in LA and they got the South Korean Harmonica team doing the National Anthem??? Big Fail."

Another chimed in:

"A Korean Harmonica group... That was so painful."

Here are some of the other top reactions on X:

"OMG, LA/Oilers anthem for the U….what the heck is this harmonicas…WTW," one X user posted.

"Youre just gunna pretend like the country didn't just watch the worst rendition of the national anthem ever performed," another posted.

"On the can after eating spicy nachos and wings. I thought it was me and the my pitch was pretty good," a third user wrote.

"I thought it was Canada trollin the U.S...but nope just L.A doing L.A things. Get bent California," another said.

Paul Bissonnette reacts to harmonica rendition of the US national anthem in LA Kings series opener

The harmonica rendition of the American anthem during the Game 1 of the LA Kings playoff series sparked a wide range of reactions on social media. Former NHLer and analyst Paul Bissonnette posted:

"Who OK’ed the harmonica national anthem though??? Have the Kings done it before? They wouldn’t just do a one off harmonica anthem game 1 of Stanley Cup Playoffs would they? Such a bizarre playoff launch. Bold strategy Cotton. Let’s see if it pays off."

In response to Biz, his buddy and Spittin' Chiclets co-host Ryan Whitney chimed in:

"It was the Koreatown Senior Community Center. Put some goddamn respect on their name!"

As of writing, the LA Kings lead the Edmonton Oilers 2-0 in the second period of Game 1. Andrei Kuzmenko opened the scoring with a power-play goal at 2:49 of the second period, followed by Quinton Byfield’s goal in the final minute of the period, making it 2-0.