Just days after Canadians in Montreal booed the U.S. national anthem at the 4 Nations Face-Off, some Americans attempted to retaliate in Boston.
On Monday, Team Canada held off Finland for a 5-3 win at the TD Garden, this time, some fans in attendance returned the jeers during the singing of “O’ Canada.”
With the game not involving Team USA, the hostility on the ice did not exactly match that of Saturday night’s contest, in which the Canadian crowd rained boos down during the U.S. anthem in Montreal, with the jeers overpowering any semblance of support for the anthem.
The Canadian boos likely came due to the current political climate between the two countries, as President Trump has threatened tariffs and called for Canada to join the United States as the 51st state.
The Canadian Flag Day booing seemingly wound up the Americans, who engaged in three fights in the round-robin game’s first 10 seconds en route to a 3-1 win that placed the U.S. in the inaugural 4 Nations final.
“We knew it was going to happen,” U.S. defenseman Zach Werenski said of the boos in Montreal. “It happened the last game, it’s been happening in the NHL before this and we knew tonight was going to be the same way. We obviously don’t like it.”
“We kind of had an idea,” he continued. “We used it as motivation the best we could and found a way to get a win. But we had an idea going into it, so it wasn’t a surprise. Definitely don’t like it, though.”
Canadian players weren’t exactly fans of the Bell Centre crowd’s reaction to warrant officer David Grenon of the Royal Canadian Air Force Band’s rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
“Obviously, I know what’s going on, and I understand the Canadians’ frustration, but I think we should respect the anthems and stuff like that,” defenseman Drew Doughty said. “I don’t think anyone should be booing.”
With Canada having clinched its spot in the finale, the hostilities seem set to be renewed again — this time on U.S. soil.
