Canadian Fans Boo American Anthem Before Violent US-Canada Hockey Game

Canadian fans booed the American national anthem at a matchup between the American and Canadian NHL all-star teams in Montreal on Saturday night, where the U.S. defeated Canada 3-1.

The Details: Fans were asked to respect the anthems of each country, but the crowd booed the American anthem immediately thereafter. Within the first 9 seconds of the game, three fights broke out on-ice. The U.S.’s regulation win secured them a spot in the championship game in Boston.

For Context: The American anthem was booed before Thursday’s game against Finland in the same arena. When asked about Thursday’s boos, American star player Matthew Tkachuk, who engaged in a fight Saturday, said, “I didn’t like it, and that’s all I got.” Canadian sports fans have booed the American anthem in recent weeks, ostensibly in response to President Donald Trump’s threatened tariffs and rhetoric on Canada. 

Hockey & Geopolitics: The U.S. and Canada are bitter rivals in ice hockey, and the last “best-on-best” competition between the men’s teams was in 2014. Saturday’s game was part of the 4 Nations Face-Off, where the NHL’s best from the U.S., Canada, Finland, and Sweden are competing. Despite Russia’s rank as the world’s second-best and some analysts claiming Russia’s team would be elite, it is banned from international play over the conflict in Ukraine.

American ice hockey has been at the center of geopolitics before. In 1980, during the Cold War, an underdog U.S. team defeated a juggernaut Soviet Union team to win gold in Lake Placid, NY. The U.S. men have not won Olympic gold since. 

How The Media Covered It: The Daily Mail (Right bias) called the game “humiliation” for Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who was in attendance. Outlets from the left did not cover the story as much, particularly not from the angle that the anthem was booed, though several ran coverage of Thursday’s booing. Several right outlets highlighted the booing and U.S. victory in headlines.