Canadian fans have been booing the U.S. anthem for weeks in the wake of President Trump’s proposed tariffs
The 4 Nations Face-off’s marquee matchup took an ugly turn before the puck even dropped on Saturday. Ahead of the long-awaited game between Team USA and Team Canada, fans booed the U.S. national anthem, continuing a recent trend of Canadians expressing their displeasure with the Americans.
The USA-Canada hockey rivalry, while always passionate, has taken on a new geo-political context in the wake of President Donald Trump’s plans to impose steep tariffs on Canadian goods. Fans at the game, held at the Bell Centre in Montreal, loudly booed throughout the U.S. anthem pregame.
After asking the audience to rise, an announcer asked fans to respect the national anthems, “in the spirit of this great game that delights everyone.” They ignored the request.
Canadian fans have been booing the United States anthem for weeks, soon after Trump announced that the U.S. would be imposing 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports, plus a 10% tariff on oil, natural gas and electricity from Canada.
Trump later agreed to pause the tariffs, but the boos have persisted.
Fans at games hosted by the NBA’s Toronto Raptors and NHL’s Ottawa Senators booed during the “Star-Spangled Banner” earlier this month. It’s customary for both countries’ anthems to be played during international games, but to have fanbases boo a national anthem is unusual.
Ahead of Team USA’s 6-1 win over Finland on Thursday, also held in the Bell Centre, local Canadian fans loudly booed as the U.S. anthem played, prompting American players to speak about it after the game. Matthew Tkachuk, who scored two goals against Finland, said simply that he “didn’t like it,” per the Associated Press. Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand, who plays for Team Canada, agreed.
“There should not be any of that. We’re here to play a hockey game. They can boo all they want during the games. The anthems should be off-limits,” Marchand told reporters after Thursday’s game, via MassLive. “They (the players) have nothing to do with the political things that are going on. I do feel bad for those guys in that moment. I don’t think it’s right.”
The U.S. went on to win Saturday’s game 3-1, sealing the win — and a spot in the 4 Nations Face-off final — with an empty-netter in the final two minutes of the game.
At least the U.S. won’t have to deal with a home Canadian crowd anymore, as Saturday’s game is the last in Montreal. The final two round-robin matches and the final will both take place in Boston’s TD Garden next week.
