US-Canada Hockey rivaling reached its hottest point earlier this month on 4 Nations Face-off, and fans-and-politics-played major roles.
In the first match of the United States in the tournament, which was against Finland in Montreal, the Canadian audience booed the “star -spangled banner.” Two days later, the Montreal audience lived again the US hymn before the two border countries came in three matches in the first nine seconds of their highly expected team.
Of course, politics may not have directly led to the matches, but they were definitely the most important factor for the big boos.
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Overview of the stadium during the US national anthem before the start of the first period against Team Canada under 4 Nations Face-off Ice Hockey Championship Game at TD Garden. (Brian Fluharty-Preferred Pictures)
The National Anthem stroke began earlier this month when the Ottawa Senators fans booed “Star-Spangled Banner” on February 1st, when Trump’s tariffs on goods from Canada to the United States were to be implemented (they have since been delayed). It also happened during a Toronto Raptors game the next day, and it transferred all the way to Boston as Americans faintly lived the Canadian anthem in both of their games on the United States.
Sean McDonough was at the invitation to the final, which was running to be a 3-2 overtime win for Canada over the United States, but he said while he had to focus on the ice, he felt a need to bring the policy between the two countries.
“I think in this case we had to say something,” McDonough said at the “Sports Media” podcast. “I felt I had to say something because it was a problem – and I assume I contributed to what I said on the radio program, but there was a need to be a recognition.”
Canada players celebrate after a goal from Nathan Mackinnon in the first period of 4 Nations Face-off Championship Hockey Games against the United States, Thursday, February 20, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
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McDonough said earlier that week he had hoped that Americans did not live the Canadian national anthem in front of the final, as he said became a big thing in the media.
“I had said before – it’s astonishing how our business works. I’m on a couple of talk shows. I was asked about booing and I said, ‘I hope they don’t boo.’ “I just hope that Americans don’t boo. And to the point that people are more interested in this because of that, it was much more, in my experience, a question in Canada than it was in Boston. In Canada they were. “
“It’s interesting how our things work,” he added. “I said, ‘Well, I hope they don’t boo.’ Well, then the headlines on these articles will be ‘Sean McDonough [inaudible] Not to boo, ‘as I called a press conference and said,’ Don’t boo. ‘All I said was,’ I hope they don’t boo. ‘ But it’s as if I called a press conference and asked people not to [boo]. I answered a question and said, ‘I hope they don’t boo.’ “
Team USA Forward Auston Matthews (34) and former hockey player Mike Eruzione and former hockey player Wayne Gretzky and Team Canada Tip Sidney Crosby (87) under the 4 Nations Face-off Ice Hockey Championship Game in TD Garden. (Brian Fluharty-Preferred Pictures)
McDonough added that if he had known Canadian anthem -singer Chantal Kreviazuk deliberately the words as a shot against President Donald Trump, “I would have recognized.” But he initially thought it was an unintentional flubbing of the texts.
The victory improved Canada’s record against the United States in best-at-best formats to 14-4-1, with victories including Olympic Gold Medal games in 2002 and 2010 and the Olympic semi-final in 2014.
