On Saturday, the intensity was undeniable as Team USA took on Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off hockey tournament. The atmosphere inside Montreal’s Bell Centre was thick with animosity and political tension. Canadian spectators made their feelings known, loudly booing the Star-Spangled Banner—a jarring display that underscored the growing strain between the two nations.
Canadian hockey fans booed “The Star-Spangled Banner” — setting off a brawl-filled game that ended with a US win Saturday night.
The game of the NHL-run 4 Nations Face-Off tournament could have been mistaken for a boxing event — with three fist fights breaking out between American and Canadian players following the widespread booing of the US national anthem by over 20,000 angry fans.
As soon as the singer, Royal Canadian Air Force member David Grenon, began belting, “Oh, say, can you see,” the crowd at the Bell Centre in Montreal let out an aggressive and booming chorus of boos that nearly drowned out the anthem entirely.
The jeers came down torrentially loud when “and the rockets’ red glare,” was sung — the apex of the tune.
By the end of the anthem, a contingent of US fans made their voices heard briefly but were once again overwhelmed by apparently angry and bitter Canadians.
By contrast, “Oh, Canada,” the country’s national anthem, was sung throughout the arena without booing and with particular patriotic fervor.
The hostility came in the wake of Trump’s recent tariff threats, in which he vowed to impose 25% tariffs on Canadian goods unless Canada took stronger action to secure the border and curb the flow of illegal immigration and fentanyl. Faced with the pressure, Canada quickly caved. Trump also continues to mock Canada by referring to it as the 51st state and calling Prime Minister Trudeau “Governor Trudeau.”
Related: American Hockey Players Angry at Canadian Fans for Booing the Anthem Before Game
Just as Canada’s political leadership learned FAFO with Trump, Canadian hockey fans got a similar lesson.
From the opening puck drop, this game was anything but ordinary. The intensity was so high that, incredibly, three fights broke out in just nine seconds during the first period. The players weren't just competing for glory; they were fighting for the pride of their countries. Canada struck first, taking a 1-0 lead with an early goal, making the stakes even higher for Team USA.
However, this team of talented American athletes would not go down easily. Team USA rebounded, ultimately claiming a 3-1 victory. This important win not only secured a spot in the finals but also marked a significant moment in USA Hockey’s recent history. I wouldn’t doubt that for some this may well have been the most deliciously symbolic victory since the famous Miracle on Ice in the 1980 Winter Olympics.
The handmade fireworks got lots of Americans heavily invested in the outcome of the game.
“I didn’t care about this USA hockey game but that was 19 fights ago,” Barstool president Dave Portnoy wrote on X before live tweeting the rest of the game.
“America beating the s–t out of Canada. 3 fights in 9 seconds, America won all 3, wasn’t even close,” one animated user wrote on X. “Bunch of damn maple syrup drinking, moose riding, leaf loving, commies.”
The championship final is to be played in Boston later this week.
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