Some Canadian hockey fans are not pleased with their southern neighbours.
After US President Donald Trump announced that he was slapping tariffs on Canadian goods on Saturday, hockey fans in both Calgary and Ottawa responded by booing the ‘Star-Spangled Banner’ before their respective hockey games.
Ottawa Senators fans made their feelings known first in the leadup to the Senators’ game against the Minnesota Wild. They loudly booed the US anthem and started cheering when the singer switched to the ‘O Canada’.
The crowd at the #Sens game in Ottawa boo’s the U.S. National anthem. Then belts out the Canadian anthem. Tariffs related? #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/M6Zv2EXVpE
— Claire Hanna (@clahanna) February 2, 2025
That wasn’t the only case of hockey fans showing their displeasure with the United States. Out west, Calgary Flames fans did something similar before their game against the Detroit Red Wings.
Similarly, the Calgary fans waited until the anthem was ending to shower down the boo-birds.
And the boo birds come out in Calgary for the U.S. anthem. pic.twitter.com/uABwpvfB4L
— Courtney Theriault (@cspotweet) February 2, 2025
It’s a stark departure from the usual reverence that Canadian hockey fans usually take when the American anthem plays. On multiple occasions, fans have joined in to sing the ‘Star-Spangled Banner’ as well as ‘Oh Canada’.
Back in 2017, before a playoff game between the Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Ducks, the singer experienced mic troubles. To help out, the sea of Oilers fans decided to sing it themselves in what must have been an unforgettable experience for the players.
The political tensions between the two countries are now causing a bit of a rift for some Canadians. So much so that it is starting to leak over into hockey games.
The tariffs imposed by Trump on Canada were not met without official retaliation. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced yesterday that tariffs would also be placed on American goods as well.
If this were a hockey game, the easy solution would be for the two world leaders to drop the gloves and hug it out in the penalty box. Unfortunately, politics are just a tad bit more complicated than that.