This has become about much more than hockey.
Fans at the Bell Centre booed loudly Saturday night — from beginning to end — when the American national anthem was played before a 4 Nations Face-Off game between Canada and the United States.
The booing wasn’t about hockey or the American players on the ice. It was about U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff attacks on Canada and his constant threats of turning Canada into the 51st state. Trump has also showed a total lack of respect for Canada and Canadians by calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “Governor Trudeau.” Trudeau was at the game Saturday night.
Trump has made it clear he wants the U.S. to take over Canada and he’d also like his good friend and MAGA supporter Wayne Gretzky to become governor of Canada.
“I have so many great friends, one of them is The Great One, Wayne Gretzky,” Trump said about the Canadian Hall of Famer during a news conference last month at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. “I said: ‘Run for prime minister, you’ll win in a — it’ll take two seconds.’ But he said, ‘Am I going to run for prime minister or governor, you tell me.’ I said, ‘I don’t know, let’s make it governor. I like it better.’”
Gretzky and his American wife, Janet, celebrated Trump’s presidential election victory with him last November at Mar-a-Lago. Gretzky has said he’s not interested in becoming governor of Canada.
Since Trump won’t respect Canada and Canadians, Canadian hockey fans have decided to show their frustration and anger by booing the U.S. anthem — loudly.
Despite longtime Bell Centre PA announcer Michel Lacroix’s pre-game request that fans respect the national anthems and the players from both countries, the loud boos started Saturday night as soon as the singing of the Star Spangled Banner started and continued until the end.
Before the game, Bob Leblevec was expecting fans to boo the U.S. anthem and it put him in an awkward spot since he was born and raised in Vancouver and was attending the game with his American wife, Susan, who is originally from Toledo, Ohio, and her niece, Gretchen Gerken, who is from Dallas. The couple was at the game celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary, which was on Valentine’s Day. They met at the Hyatt Grand Central New York on St. Patrick’s Day in 1994 when Bob was there to watch the Canucks play the New York Rangers and she was there on business. They have lived in Vancouver since getting married.
“Of course they will boo (the U.S. anthem),” Bob said just over an hour before game time. “I don’t like it. … We were just at the Fan Fest (outside the Bell Centre) and it was super-awesome. Everybody was interacting, it was super fun. But I said, ‘As soon as we come in here it’s going to change,’ and I’m going to record both anthems because I know what it’s going to look like.”
Susan said she doesn’t like hearing Canadian fans boo the U.S. anthem, adding it sends the wrong message.
“I know all Canadians aren’t like that,” she said. “It’s just their gut reaction and I actually think it’s motivational for Team USA.”
Susan does, however, understand why Canadians are upset.
“Sure … everybody can understand that,” she said. “But sports shouldn’t be political, I don’t think. But you can’t help that. Most Americans think Canadians are so super-nice and they can’t imagine that they would boo the anthem, so it does the opposite effect of what they want, I think.”
Bob tried to add a little humour to the situation.
“I believe ticket sales were down for this 4 Nations Cup and I think (NHL commissioner Gary) Bettman called Trump and said, ‘Hey, listen, can you stir the pot just a little bit and get ticket sales up?’ — and here we are today,” Bob said with a smile while his wife chuckled.
Ahead of the game, Team USA’s Auston Matthews said: “Don’t love to see that (booing the U.S. anthem), but it is what it is. It’s out of our control. That’s all I’m really good to say about it.”
Team Canada’s Connor McDavid said: “I’d like to see all anthems respected. That’s all I’ll really say about it.”
Tensions at the Bell Centre were high before the game and they exploded only two seconds after the puck dropped with a fight between Canada’s Brandon Hagel and Team USA’s Matthew Tkachuk. One second after play resumed another fight broke out between Canada’s Sam Bennett and Brady Tkachuk, Matthew’s brother. Six seconds after that there was a third fight between Canada’s Colton Parayko and J.T. Miller.
Three fights in nine seconds!
There were a few boos for the U.S. national anthem before Team USA’s first 4 Nations Face-Off game at the Bell Centre — a 6-1 win over Finland Thursday night. But it was nothing like Saturday night.
When Team USA’s Matthew Tkachuk was asked after Thursday’s game about the boos, he said: “I didn’t like it. That’s all I got.”
Canadians don’t like what Trump wants to do to their country and are expressing their anger and frustration loud and clear.
Instead of having a singer for O Canada before the Canada-U.S. game, Lacroix asked the sellout crowd to sing the anthem out loud on the 60th anniversary of The Maple Leaf becoming Canada’s official flag. The fans responded by beautifully, belting out O Canada — the first half in French and the second half in English.
It was magnificent.
Canada and the United States used to be fierce but friendly hockey rivals.
Now it has gone beyond hockey — just like it was when Canada beat the Soviet Union in the eight-game 1972 Summit Series. But back then the Canadian players didn’t know much about the Soviet players and their Communist way of life and there was a hatred between the two teams and countries. It was us against them and their way of life.
Now you have NHL teammates and friends playing against each other when it’s Canada vs. USA. Matthews, who is captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs, plays for Team USA and his NHL teammate and close friend Mitch Marner plays for Team Canada.
It’s awkward and it’s also sad that politics have now become part of this great hockey rivalry.
Thank Donald Trump for that.