SARNIA – After fans in Canadian NHL cities booed the Star-Spangled Banner, officials with the Ontario Hockey League say its teams must keep playing the Canadian and American national anthems before all cross-border games.
The jeering at sporting events began after President Donald Trump threatened to impose a 25 per cent tariff on most Canadian goods entering the U.S. The countries have since agreed to a 30-day delay.
And Trump repeatedly has stated his desire for Canada to become the 51st American state.
“It is policy in the Ontario Hockey League that national anthems be played prior to games, and it is the league’s expectation that teams will uphold the terms of this policy for both home and visiting teams,” OHL communications director Josh Sweetland wrote in response to questions from Postmedia.
No teams have asked the league for advice on the anthems, he added.
“This is an area the league is monitoring as we move into a few cross-border matchups this week and any necessary adjustments will be taken into consideration in the coming days and weeks,” Sweetland wrote.
The U.S. anthem was performed without incident Saturday night when the Sarnia Sting played host to the Erie Otters at Progressive Auto Sales Arena. At about the same time, Ottawa Senators fans booed the U.S. anthem before their game against the Minnesota Wild in Ottawa.
The Senators-Wild game was the first reported case of Canadian fans booing the Star-Spangled Banner amid the tariff turmoil. Since then, fans have booed the U.S. anthem at NHL games in Calgary, Vancouver and Winnipeg, and an NBA game in Toronto.
Some fans booed O Canada before the Senators-Predators game on Monday in Nashville.
Quebec City officials have asked spectators not to boo the 11- and 12-year-old Americans playing next week in the prestigious Quebec City International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament.
The Otters were the only American OHL team to visit Ontario last weekend, but the Saginaw Spirit were set to play Wednesday in Windsor and the Flint Firebirds will be in Peterborough Thursday. All three U.S. OHL teams were to play in Ontario Friday.