The American national anthem was booed again at the Bell Centre ahead of Monday night’s game between the Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres.
As soon as anthem singer Cherylyn Toca started singing the U.S. anthem, the booing started.
The booing wasn’t nearly as loud as it was ahead of a game between Canada and the United States on Feb. 15 at the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament, but the boos could be heard — especially a the start and the end of the U.S. anthem.
The. booing Monday night came after U.S. President Donald Trump announced earlier in the day that his long-threatened trade war against Canada would begin just after midnight with tariffs on Canadian goods.
“Very importantly, tomorrow, tariffs, 25 per cent on Canada and 25 per cent on Mexico, and that will start,” Trump told reporters at the White House in Washington. “So, they’re gonna have to have a tariff.”
Trump added that the United States has been “a laughingstock for years and years” and he needs to take trade action against its continental neighbours. Trump has also said he wants to punish Canada for a supposedly lax approach to drugs and migrants.
When asked if there was anything Canada can do to try and hold off the tariffs, Trump said: “No room left for Mexico or Canada. They’re all set, they go into effect tomorrow.”
Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said Canada has a package of retaliatory measures ready to hit back at Trump right away.