Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau couldn’t resist taking a jab at President Donald Trump following Canada’s ice hockey team’s thrilling victory over the USA in a tightly contested final. “You can’t take our country – and you can’t take our game,” Trudeau cheekily remarked on X.
The nail-biting 3-2 overtime triumph for Canada in the 4 Nations Face Off final held in Boston unfolded against a backdrop of escalating tensions between the neighboring nations. With the specter of a potentially harmful trade war looming and Trump’s persistent suggestions about incorporating Canada as the 51st US state, the atmosphere was charged.
In a recent trend, Canadian sports fans have been audibly expressing their disdain during renditions of the American national anthem. However, in a role reversal, it was the US home fans who predominantly voiced their disapproval this time around. As their boos reverberated, Canadian supporters defiantly sang their national anthem with altered lyrics in protest against Trump’s remarks.
During the performance, singer Chantal Kreviazuk took a stand by modifying the lyrics of O Canada. Her representative informed CBC News that she purposefully substituted “that only us command” for “in all of us command.” In an Instagram post featuring a snapshot of the revised lyrics, she asserted, “We should voice our indignation in response to any abuses of power.”
Under ordinary circumstances, this match would have held great significance for the two amicable rivals on the ice. However, recent developments injected added intensity. Connor McDavid’s sudden-death goal that clinched the victory sparked jubilation among the traveling Canadian fans.
Although the US president was unable to attend the game, he phoned the team to extend his well wishes. Reiterating his aspiration for Canada to become part of the US, he expressed in a Truth Social post before the match his hope that the country “will someday, maybe soon, become our cherished and very important, Fifty First State.”
For fans across North America, the final was a “dream match-up,” according to ice hockey writer Daniel Nugent-Bowman. Not since the 2014 Winter Olympics had the top male ice hockey players from Canada and the US engaged in such a pivotal encounter. Both nations boast prominent stars in the National Hockey League (NHL), such as Canadians Mitch Marner and McDavid, and Americans Auston Matthews and Jack Eichel. The game provided a platform for this new generation of players to showcase their skills.
For Canadians, the match held a deeper significance, offering both ardent and casual fans a chance to revel in national pride during a time when the country’s autonomy appears to be under threat from its closest ally. Few would dispute the integral role ice hockey plays in Canada’s national identity. The sport has been the backdrop for some of the nation’s proudest moments, like Sidney Crosby’s gold medal-winning goal in overtime at the 2010
